Orion's Arm Universe Project
Reclamation by MacGregor
TABLE OF CONTENTS
PREVIOUS
The percussive thumps of munition impacts sent small cascades of rust-colored dust from the ceiling. Only a few meters below the surface, the battle outside seemed close enough to touch.
"When do… do you think we'll be sent in?" asked Lopez.
"I don't know. Can't be much longer." Taro tried his best to project calm. Lopez had only been with Bravo Team for a few days, and this would be his first time in combat. Taro could see Lopez's fear in his eyes. He thought about his first fight at the metro station. It had been no more than two months, but it felt like a lifetime ago.
Lieutenant Khanna walked up and down the narrow corridor, the militiamen pressed against the dimly lit dirt walls forming a valley of armored limbs and weapons. "Squad leaders, word just came down from company. Sending time now."
Maza took a moment to read the order's details in his HUD before coming over the squad net. "Second squad, prepare for movement in five. Load your weapons, keep full safeties."
Taro checked his team. Fatima slid a grenade into her launcher, as Zupong racked rounds into his shotgun. Lopez fumbled with a rifle magazine before inserting it properly.
Taro thumbed the safety on Lopez's G71. "Safety on for now, okay?"
"Got it, right."
Taro pitied Lopez that this would be his first action. Not only would the assault on the Acropolis be the largest offensive since the initial outbreak, the terrain was daunting. Situated in the center of the northern half of Hale Crater, the heights of the Acropolis dominated Aachen City. Perched on several peaks that rose like a pimple from the crater floor, the Acropolis district was the city's administrative and cultural center before the Technocalypse. The slaughterbots had made it a primary target early in their attack, killing Governor Guetta and most of the territorial council. Since then, their domination of the Acropolis high ground had made surface movement perilous. Retaking it would do much to restore control of the city, though the slaughterbots' domination of the crater's north rim would still pose a problem. Taro's thoughts shifted from the big picture to the task at hand. Bravo Company's objective was the remains of the Berzeviczy, a museum complex nestled near the base of the Acropolis rise. Theirs was a supporting effort allowing other RDF and Republican Army units to take more important points higher up.
Kapoc came down the corridor carrying two large satchels of supplies, the low ceiling forcing him to stoop.
Taro grabbed the vec's lanky arm. "Hey Kapoc, take care of yourself out there."
Kapoc stared blankly at Taro for a second, before breaking into a forced smile, "Of course. You do the same."
The platoon shuffled down what must have been some sort of service way. As they turned the corner, Taro saw the company's weapons platoon staged on a low ramp before a metal door. Captain Beason and the company First Sergeant stood on either side. Through the tangled mass of militiamen, Taro could see Beason talking though he was not broadcasting on the company net so Taro could not make out what he was saying. Beason flung open the doors. A burst of sunlight and noise filled the tunnel. Led by Beason, the weapons platoon charged up the ramp, carrying rocket launchers and railguns or pushing bipedal autocannon. As soon as the last person cleared the ramp, the First Sergeant pulled the doors shut again.
Lieutenant Khanna came over the net. "First Platoon- move forward."
Senior Sergeant Stach took Beason's former position near the door. The diminutive Khanna walked up the ramp, her head now only slightly above the rest. "The heavy weapons platoon is providing covering fire. Follow your waypoints, keep your eyes forward, and keep moving."
The First Sergeant said something to Khanna over a private channel, then he and Stach flung open the doors. Taro's visor dimmed to adjust to the sunlight. Though briefed during the mission order, Taro could not help but feel surprised to find himself in Aachen City's cityscape of half-ruined buildings and towers after so long underground. To their front, the twisted hulk of a skyscraper stood between the platoon and the heights of the Acropolis, providing cover from direct fire. Even dulled by Mar's thin atmosphere and his suit's acoustics, the sounds of battle were intense. A near constant roar punctuated by sharp cracks and pops, all interlaced with the merging staccato of mass automatic weapons fire. As he led Bravo Team in a single file behind Alpha, Taro looked around. He had only been on the surface briefly when their shuttle crash landed, and though once again under fire, he stole glances at the gray-red sky peeking through the city's buildings. The platoon snaked its way around several buildings before coming to a wide intersection, the ruined remains of a roundabout in the center. Half of Bravo Company's heavy weapons platoon was positioned on the near side. At Captain Beason's command, grenadiers discharged a barrage of canisters forming a wall of smoke and chaff to obscure their crossing from the slaughterbots. The rest of the weapons platoon crossed, bounding across by teams to set up positions on the far side. The incoming fire was mild and sporadic at first but increased as more groups crossed as well.
"Our turn, First Platoon," Khanna said. She had barely finished her words when one of the covering autocannons let out a long burst of fire in the direction of the Acropolis. A streak of light, either a slaughterbot laser or rail projectile, tore back through the smoke, smashing the autocannon to pieces. "Shit! First Squad move out!" First Squad's Alpha Team made it across unscathed, but a militiaman from Bravo went down with a hit to the torso. Oxygen seeped out of the gash in his suit. With every gun system from the weapons platoon blazing, Kapoc sprinted to the downed man and dragged him across the intersection to safety.
"Second Squad, you're up!"
Maza's voice came over the net. "You heard the lady, Bravo Team."
Taro watched as they sprinted through a hail of incoming fire, plumes of dust sprouting by their feet.
"Alpha Team go!"
"On me Alpha." Taro's vision narrowed as he focused on the far side. Streaks of light, flashed across his visor.
About midway across the roundabout, Fatima screamed "Lopez!" Taro turned to find the young man down on the ground.
"Wait, help!" Lopez yelled.
Taro lunged back, grabbing Lopez by his weapon's strap, "Keep moving!" Zupong took the lead, as Taro and Fatima half dragged Lopez the remaining distance. Taro's team took cover behind the museum's outer wall. Taro called Kapoc over to check Lopez, but to everyone's relief he had merely tripped and was otherwise unscathed. As the rest of the company crossed, Khanna's platoon joined the heavy weapons platoon in providing covering fire up the slope of the Acropolis. When the last of the third platoon had arrived, the sapper team breached the museum's door and they entered their objective.
Dust kicked up by the breaching charges hung in the air. A few rust rats scampered away into holes in the wall. Lieutenant Khanna led the platoon into the Berzeviczy, preceded by a host of rolling and flying recon drones. "Second squad take the left. Third, you're on the right. First, follow me."
"Alright Second Squad, we're to take position on the western side near the north wall. Alpha Team, you're out front." Maza drawled.
"Roger that," replied Taro. "Zu, take point."
Zupong grunted an acknowledgement.
The dark museum swallowed them as they pushed forward, weapons ready at the shoulder.
"Get a load of this fucking place," Fatima's said over the team net.
"It's something," Taro said.
Left idle for decades, the Berzeviczy was undergoing renovation at the time of the slaughterbot outbreak. A number of exhibits had been refurbished, though the explosions had knocked many over. As they picked their way through the first floor, Taro could not help but look at some of the displays. Pictures along the walls detailed the earliest days of settlement in Hale Crater. Individuals in bulky white pressure suits planting the EuroFed flag, drones scrapping regolith over the initial habitats to protect from radiation. In the center of a room, an old-fashioned bot stood statuesque. Its six wheels permanently parked; a boom arm outstretched examining a rock.
Maza cut in on the squad net, "Pick up the pace Alpha."
"Roger. Let's stride it out team"
However, Zupong remained stopped at the edge of a rotunda. The glass dome lay in shards around the rusted hulk of a lander display. Sunlight filtered down from the exposed sky. The sounds of battle outside raged on but there had been no reports of firing inside from first or any other of the platoons.
"Zu, what is…"
Zupong raised his left fist, cutting him off. Taro radioed for the rest of the team to form a firing line. The ape-man stood motionless staring at the lander. He slowly raised his shotgun, training it on the relic.
Taro took position behind a column, "What do you…?"
"Contact!" Zupong yelled firing a round as the metallic bulk of a slaughterbot crawling up onto the lander.
"Take it out!" Taro let loose a long burst from his G71.
They riddled the slaughterbot and lander alike with bullets, before a grenade from Fatima's launcher put the attacker down.
Maza and Bravo team followed close behind, fanning out around the pillars that lined the base of rotunda. Taro was busy giving a situation report when Lopez screamed, "Look up!"
Above them slaughterbots crawled down the walls like ants descending a tunnel."
"Shit! they're coming in from outside," Fatima yelled.
The rotunda erupted into a whirlwind of fire.
Maza keyed the platoon net, "PL we're gonna need backup ASAP."
"Roger that. Third's in contact too. I'm coming with first to re-enforce. Hold on," said Khanna.
A slaughterbot fell, crashing into the tile floor. Zupong pumped shells into its twitching body. Fatima sent a grenade high towards the opening in the ceiling. Chunks of masonry and debris tumbled towards the ground. The air was choked with dust and smoke, as their visors adjusted to non-visible light readouts.
Khanna arrived with first squad, as more slaughterbots burst through the doors on the far side of the colonnade. The room's circular shape posed a nasty tactical problem. Having to fire horizontally to cover the ground level, the militiamen were unable to deploy to the other side of the rotunda for fear of hitting their own troops. This left a blind spot on the nearside wall, as hunter-killers came down from the ceiling. A slaughterbot landed in front of Fatima. Before she could fire, it ripped the grenade launcher from her hand with enough force to send her skidding towards the center of the rotunda.
"I got her!" yelled Taro as he emptied the rest of his magazine into the slaughterbot. The machine whirled as the armor piercing rounds from Taro's rifle ripped into its body. Critically damaged it tried to lunge at Taro but its limbs failed. Lopez and Zupong finished it off as he bounded towards Fatima. "Cover me!" He grabbed Fatima by a strap on her suit and dragged her back to the columns ringing the room. As Taro assessed Fatima's injuries, Lieutenant Khanna's voice cut in over the noise of battle "The Captain's taking a platoon to clear the roof. Keep up the heat."
"Fatima, you okay?"
"Yeah, I'm okay… my arm."
"Kapoc we need you over here."
The vec soon appeared, medkit and tools in tow. "Her condition is stable. I have it from here."
The fighting continued for a few more minutes before Khanna chimed in. "Ceasefire, ceasefire. Third platoons captured the roof. Keep pushing towards the north wall."
The platoon cleared a few more rooms before finally reaching their objective. The unnerving thought of hunter-killers lurking under the tarpaulin-covered artifacts slowed their advance, but after the fight at the rotunda it seemed the slaughterbots had conceded the museum to the RDF. Taro emplaced his team at intervals along the exterior walls and marked their fields of fire.
Fatima slumped down, next to a shattered window.
"How's your arm?" asked Taro.
Fatima made a show of rotating her shoulder. "Fuckin hurts, but I don't think anything's broken."
"Glad to hear that."
"You saved my life, Taro. Thanks."
Taro leaned in and rested the front of his helmet against Fatima's. They stood there in silence for a moment acknowledging the gravity of what they had just been through. "I wouldn't want to see anything happen to you."
Senior Sergeant Stach's radioed in, "All teams conduct weapon and ammo checks. Squad leaders report when you're up."
Taro did his check. Amazingly all of his team was alive, though Lopez had shot all of his ammunition as green troops are known to do. Taro peered uphill. He could make out a detachment of Regulars in power armor making their way into a building near the summit. A large mech stood guard outside providing suppressive fire. He took a moment to think about his first combat performance as team leader. Not too bad, he thought, then checked to make sure his hands were not shaking.
Taro heard the music before he had finished passing through the Kohlstrasse decon checkpoint. Bravo was the last company to return from the operation, and the rest of the battalion had wasted no time in celebrating their victory. Militiamen, most with their jackets off, leaned over the railings at various levels, calling out to each other. On the street below, groups formed small circles where the more virtuosic danced in the center. More cheering broke out, when the newsfeeds showed a group of armored infantry from the 14th Republican Grenadiers raising the Martian tricolor over the Acropolis's peak. Per Stach's insistence, they gave their gear a quick cleaning before joining the revelry.
Lieutenant Khanna gathered the platoon around before dismissing them. "Once again, fantastic job out there. Special thanks to Kapoc. You saved some lives out there. Great work."
They applauded Kapoc who stood motionless as if embarrassed. Zupong jumped up on his shoulders, hooting and swinging his arms, which prompted more cheering.
"All right First Platoon, go have fun but remember it isn't over yet. We're back at it tomorrow. Dismissed."
"Let's get some drinks," said Fatima.
"You coming Kapoc?" asked Taro.
"Unfortunately, no. I have to man the company staff duty desk this evening."
Maza punched the vec's arm. "You'll be missed."
Lieutenant Colonel Nasratullah had authorized the distribution of alcohol, and the squad queued up outside of Otto's. A specialist from S4, the supply section, doled out cans of beer.
"Swipe here. Two cans maximum."
Taro waved his bracelet over the scanner and picked up the cans. "It's warm," he said.
"Beggars can't be choosers. Next."
The group found an open spot on the Kohlstrasse street. Using some plastic crates and drums as tables, they cracked open their beers.
Maza lifted up his can. "Here's to a job well done Second Squad."
Zupong chugged his drink, crushing the can in his hand as he finished. "Lopez did good, very good for the first mission," Zupong said through a belch.
Taro gave Lopez a smack on the shoulder. "He sure did,"
The squad chatted, swapping war stories.
Laura made her way over to the group. "Y'all just gonna stand there? Come dance with us."
Most of the squad made their way over to a larger group near a speaker. Warmed by room temperature beer and the joy of being alive, some danced while others looked on.
"Crank it," Zupong instructed the militiamen controlling the music.
Taro looked at Fatima. "Want to dance?"
"Sure."
Fatima kept her drink in hand, swaying to the music. At the end of song, she walked off the floor and perched on top of a crate near Maza and Zupong. Before he could follow Fatima, Laura grabbed Taro's hand. She backed up against him, dancing close. Her blond hair brushing across his face, as she swished her head back and forth. Laura was a good dancer, but Taro concentrated on Fatima who was busy whispering something into Maza's ear. Maza smiled and left the group. Seeing an opening, Taro thanked Laura for the dance, and sat down next to Fatima.
After some small talk Fatima leaned forward. "I'm bushed. Think I'm gonna find a quiet place to lie down. I'll see you later." Fatima said.
The way she said those last words struck Taro as playful, even inviting. He played it cool for a few minutes, not wanting to seem too eager. Then followed her towards the old storefront that now served as the company's headquarters. Inside, Kapoc sat behind the staff duty desk monitoring a message terminal.
"Hey Kapoc, you see where Fatima went?"
"I believe she's in the convalescence room. But…"
"Thanks." Taro walked down the hall. Each squad was assigned a convalescence room for the recovery of ill or wounded militiamen. As their squad had not suffered any serious wounded during the battle for the Acropolis it should be unoccupied. Taro gave a perfunctory knock, and pulled the door open. The sight of Fatima's bare back greeted him. Her dark skinned gleamed with a thin sheen of sweat. Bruises from her fight with the slaughterbot visible on her shoulder. For an instant, he thought he had caught Fatima changing, perhaps she was ready for him. But his eyes were immediately drawn to a pair of pale white hands gripping her thin waist. Taro stood there more paralyzed than at any point during his first firefight. Fatima writhed up and down, as two large hairy legs shifted from under her. She twisted to look over her shoulder, exposing the side of her breast.
"Get out!" she gasped.
Maza's bearded face came into view from around Fatima. He kicked the door closed, nearly hitting Taro in the nose. Taro staggered back, as if slowly retreating from a dangerous animal. His brain struggled to process what he had seen. As reality set it, blood rushed to his face. Taro spun around and steamed towards the door. Kapoc tried to say something to him but Taro brushed past the vec.
"You could have fucking said something."
Taro pushed through the crowd, still going strong in the street. He could not bear to hear the music and laughter. He found a room that the platoon often used for briefings unoccupied. He sat there, along amongst the tables and chairs stewing for the better part of an hour.
Eventually, Fatima walked through the door. "Thought I'd find you here."
Taro looked past Fatima, not responding.
"Dude, you gotta knock." She said with a slight chuckle.
Taro sat there mute.
Fatima placed her hands on her hips. "What are you upset with me about? You walked in on us."
Taro's gut churned as he struggled to find the words. He wanted to yell at Fatima. Demand to know why she had led him on. Why she wanted to hurt him. After a moment all he could manage was "I can't believe you."
"Believe what?
"Maza. Really?" Taro looked into Fatima's eyes.
She saw his pain. "Listen Taro, we've been friends awhile, right? Good friends."
"Yeah."
"Well. That's how I like it. I wouldn't…I wouldn't want to change that."
Taro was about to throw it all back at Fatima. Why the kiss back on Watkins Station? Why the suggestion that he follow her to the convalescence room? But his anger was sideswiped as a wave of embracement crashed over him. Realization set in. Realization that he might have been wrong about everything. Had he read their friendship wrong? Had this romance been all in his head?
Taro swallowed hard and looked at the ground. "I thought… I thought things were different."
Fatima opened her mouth to speak, but a voice cut her off.
"Stop right there. Put your hands in the air."
Turning, a squad of uniformed men stood weapons trained on them. Helmets hid their faces. They wore body armor and the black armbands of the military police.
"Whoa! What the fuck is this?" Fatima said.
"You're under arrest. Hands in the air!" The MPs swarmed them, forcing them to the ground. They twisted their arms behind their backs and placed heavy cuffs on their wrists. The MPs hauled Taro and Fatima out into the Kohlstrasse street. Kapoc and there shackled, peppering his captors with questions. Zupong was resisting furiously, with four men struggling to place leg restraints on the ape-man. An MP officer was busy talking to Captain Beason and Lieutenant Khanna who exchanged concerned looks with Taro.
A scream echoed out of the S6. Laura was dragged out, tears in her eyes.
"Hey, let her go." Taro said before a rifle butt to the stomach knocked the wind out of him.
An MP bent down, placing his visored helmet next to Taro's head as he struggled to breath. "Save your strength traitor, you're gonna need it."
The military police unceremoniously shoved the five of them into a wheeled transport. The rear metal door slammed shut behind them. Any attempt to speak above a bare whisper was silenced by the guard riding in the cab. The word "traitor" repeated in a loop in Taro's mind. He sat cuffed in the windowless vehicle, wondering where they were going. Fatima and Zupong were downcast, raising their eyes only to give Taro frowns and accusatory looks. Kapoc's stoic deportment had a forced air to it. Laura was more confused than anything. Her eyes searched for any clue as to what was happening and why she had been arrested. The drive lasted a near eternity before the transport slowed to a halt.
The lack of windows indicated that they were still subterranean. But then again, prisons were not exactly known for their views.
"Where are we?" asked Fatima.
"Quiet," replied the guard. ;
Split up, they were each placed in a cell. Taro stole a glance at his friends before they were separated, unsure if they would ever see each other again. The room was spartan. Barely enough room for the low single bed, toilet and sink. Taro sat; the heavy cuffs still locked around his wrists. His mind swirled. Should he tell them about Marius? Would they believe him? Would his friends tell?
Alone with his thoughts, Taro struggled to remember a time when he had been so bereft of stimuli. No sounds, no screens, just four walls. He decided the closest were the Buddhist meditation sessions his father had tried to get him to attend on Watkins, but even at those there was the smell of burning incense and soft Zen music. Hours passed. The door of the cell flashed transparent. A guard on the other side, banged a hand against the material. "You. Get up."
He stood facing the door. It retracted, and Taro stepped out into the corridor.
The guard pushed Taro in the back. "Move it." He was frog marched down a series of long hallways before being placed in a small conference room. There were tables and chairs, but he was not permitted to sit. After some time, a new group of guards entered the room. They were dressed in darker gray uniforms than the prison personnel, their boots polished to a high shine. They took position around the room. A man entered, his bald head and catlike eyes making him instantly recognizable.
"Mr. Hashimoto, I am Legate Chao Fillopav"
Taro stood wide eyed. "I… I know. We…"
"Yes. Yes. On Judian, I'm sure. Please have a seat." The two sat down across from each other at a short table. "Do you know why you've been arrested and why I'm taking the time to talk to you now?"
Taro swallowed hard. He knew better than to incriminate himself. "No, I don't."
Fillopav gave a tired sigh, rubbing his nose with a thumb. "I assure you that's not the way you'll want to handle this. As you well know we've tracked a particularly nasty piece of malware back to the 303rd's communication section. This virus just so happened to appear a few days after your mysterious sojourn in the bowels of Aachen City. And wouldn't you know it, security cameras have you entering the S6 mere moments before the first traces of this contagion were detected. Since then, this virus has been wreaking holy hell with our systems, burrowing into zettabytes of data, and endangering untold lives." Fillopav leaned forward for emphasis. "I can't help you if you don't tell me. So, I'll ask just one more time, do you know why… you… are… here?"
Taro's heart raced. He's eyes locked with Fillopav's. "Yes sir."
Fillopav smiled, resting his forearms on the table. "I thought as much. Tell me everything Hashimoto. Start at the beginning."
Taro related the whole experience. How they had been cut off from their unit. The fall down the elevator shaft. Fillopav listened intently about Marius, bobbing his head and encouraging Taro to continue.
"Legate Fillopav, we weren't' trying to put anyone in danger. Laura... Specialist Ensley, she didn't have anything to do with it. This Marius said that we shouldn't tell anyone, because it was important, said the whole city was in danger."
"From the slaughterbots?" Fillopav asked in his urbane voice.
"Yes, but he said that there was someone orchestrating the entire attack, that it wasn't some latent outbreak from the Technocalypse."
The smile that Filllopav had plastered on his face, gave way. Not entirely, but enough for Taro to notice. "He said, what… exactly?"
"Marius said that someone or some group is controlling the slaughterbots. That's what he told us."
"Did he say who?"
"No, he didn't know. That's what he said the program would find out. That bastard must have lied to me. I should have known he was something bad."
Fillopav stared at Taro for a moment, as silence hung in the room. He cocked his head to the side, studying Taro as a cat would a mouse. "I see," Fillopav said. He reached over grabbing Taro by the hair and slammed his face into the table.
"Fuck!" Taro screamed. Pain exploded across his face. He tried to raise his cuffed hands to his nose, blood running into his mouth.
Fillopav stood up in a flash. He jutted a finger at one of the guards. "Get him to the interrogation cell. I want every last detail pried from his brain before they're through with him. Same with the others."
A guard punched Taro in the small of the back, before placing him in a chokehold. Taro watched Fillopav turn and leave. Utter confusion reigned in Taro's head as he was manhandled out of the room before clarity struck like a lightning bolt. It was him. It was Fillopav. He was the one controlling it all.
The guards hauled Taro down a corridor and some stairs. A narrow-unmarked door opened, and he was thrown in side. On his knees, Taro clutched his nose trying to stymie the flow of blood. As if from nowhere, something yanked Taro from the floor and unceremoniously dropped him on a cold metallic table. He tried to see who or what it was but the bright light overhead blinded him. Taro resisted, but his assailant's grip was so strong that he knew it must be a machine of some kind. A whirl of activity, and his wrists and ankles were locked into restraints. A rectangular head leered over him, silhouetted from behind by the light. The camera stalks that served as eyes glowed.
The bot held up an appendage tipped with a taser, crackling with electricity. "You have been identified as a criminal. You will provide every detail of your crimes." The bot spoke with a harsh artificial voice.
Taro spat out blood that had dripped into his mouth. "Let me out!"
The bot jabbed the taser into Taro's side.
Taro's jaws clenched shut as his entire body spasmed in pain.
"You will not be released until you have provided all required information. Who were your accomplices?"
"I… I… didn't have… have any help." Taro stammered.
The bot shocked Taro again in the same soft spot between his ribs.
Taro screamed.
"There is reason to think otherwise. Who were your accomplices?"
"Fuck… You…!"
The bot went to stab Taro again, but a few centimeters before the prod made contact with his skin, it stopped. Taro lay there. He eyes closed and body tense. He listened to the crackling of the taser waiting for it to strike. The noise stopped. Slowly, Taro opened his eyes, assuming that some new torture was about to be implemented. The interrogator bot stood over him, frozen like a statue. The only noise came from the slow spinning of its eye stocks as if its camera were trying to get in focus.
Finally, the bot spoke. "Mr. Hashimoto, are you all right?"
The urbane voice was instantly recognizable. Taro lay stunned, staring at the bot.
The restrains on his arms and legs sprang open. Taro propped himself up, panting to regain his breath.
"Are you badly hurt?" the bot said again.
"Get the fuck away from me."
"It's all right Mr. Hashimoto, I'm in control of this bot now. It can't hurt you."
"Marius? How?"
"Well, I don't mind telling you it wasn't easy. It took me longer than expected to override their security protocols without them knowing about it, but now I can access most of the..."
Taro interrupted, "I know who it is. I know who's behind the slaughterbot outbreak."
"Who?"
"First, we have to get the others and get the hell outta here."
A pause hung in the air. "You think if you tell me now I wouldn't help you?"
"I'm done with taking chances," said Taro.
"Very well. Though I find your lack of trust distasteful we can do it your way. As I was saying, I can access a good portion of the facility's cameras and doors. But we will need to be quick."
"How far away are they?"
"Not far. Two levels up. We'll need to make this look convincing though." Marius threw Taro a pair of large handcuffs hanging near the door. "Let's put these on."
They rounded a corner. Two guards, a large one and a smaller bald one, emerged from a room down the hall.
"Hey stop there. What are you doing with him?"
Marius jerked Taro to a halt. He spoke in the voice of the interrogator bot. "Moving the prisoner to a new cell. The prisoner is cooperative."
"I didn't get anything authorizing a transfer." The larger man said turning to his partner. "Call this in."
Marius dragged Taro closer, closing the distance with the guards. "Unnecessary, transfer has already been approved."
"Unnecessary? Who the… Hey, why is an interrogator handling a transfer?"
The guard reached for his pistol. In a flash, Marius grabbed the guard's wrist, crushing it. The pistol dropped to the floor. Before the guard could scream, Marius tased him under the chin. Taro bashed the bald guard in the face with the side of his heavy cuffs. The guard dropped to his knees, and Taro brought the cuffs down hard on the back of his head. He went limp. Taro picked up the guards' guns and shoved them into the waistband of his pants.
Marius removed the cuffs from Taro's hands. "We need to hurry."
The two took a flight stairs and rounded a few more corners before arriving at the cell block, luckily not encountering any more security.
"Can you open it?" asked Taro.
"I'll try, their countermeasures are picking up. They know something's in the system."
The cell door whished open. Fatima, Zupong, Kapoc, and Laura stared at the interrogator bot in apprehensive silence before Taro pushed into the room.
"Taro!" Laura said with evident relief.
"Come on, we're getting outta here."
"What happened to your face, Taro?" Kapoc asked.
"I'll tell you all later, but we gotta move." Taro handed a pistol to Fatima.
"Here take this, I don't think its bio-locked."
Fatima looked at the firearm in her hand then at the bot still standing in the doorway. "Where'd you get this? What the hell is that thing?"
"Good to see you as well, Ms. Akmal." Marius said.
Zupong let out a loud grunt denoting understanding.
"Oh shit," said Fatima.
"There's no time guys, we gotta…" but Taro was interrupted by the wailing of an alarm.
"Follow me, I have identified an exit," Marius said.
They sprinted down the hall to a stairwell. The lights flicked on and off.
Marius took the lead. "They're attempting to regain control of the facility's systems. We need to get you out." They rounded a corner and found a guard, weapon drawn, a few meters away.
"On the ground now!" the guard screamed.
Marius charged. Shots rang out with several striking Marius in the torso before he subdued the guard with a shock to the neck.
"You, okay?" asked Taro.
"This bot is damaged. Quick, over here."
Marius ripped an access panel off the wall, revealing a crawl space. "This will take you out of the prison."
"You're not coming with us?" asked Fatima.
"The bot would be too conspicuous. I'll try and divert security the best I can, now go."
"Thanks Marius," said Taro.
"I'll contact you when I can. Get your friends to safety."
They crawled in and Marius fixed the panel back on the wall. They moved along on their hands and knees in the darkness, the only light provided by the glow of Kapoc's eyes. Soon all they could hear was the fading alarm and muffled gunshots.
Taro tried to walk as casually as he could through the street. His hands clasped to two small paper cups filled with now tepid coffee. Marius's programs were still masking them from the automated recognition scans, but wanted posters flashed periodically on street corners and his face was among the images that cycled through. Taro bent his head down under his jacket's hood trying to hide as much as possible from the civilian refugees and the occasional security guard. He turned down an alleyway and bounded up a short metal stairwell before using his foot to knock four times on a nondescript metal door. The door cracked slightly before Laura pulled it open.
"Hey," she said.
It had been three days since they managed their escape, and this had only been their second foray out from their hiding place, a filthy flat in a busted tenement repurposed by refugees turned squatters.
Taro handed Laura one of the coffees. "Sorry, this was all I could find."
Laura took a sip. "Any food?"
"Just a few nutrient bars. Hard to get issued a larger ration alone."
She passed the cup to Fatima, then pulled her hair back into a short pony tail. "Thanks, Taro. Any trouble?".
"Not really, they're still looking for us though."
Fatima ripped open a nutrient bar package, "So what's the move?"
"Could we get back down to Marius's level?" Kapoc asked.
Zupong grunted, "What for? In time they find us there."
"He's right," said Taro. "We can't run and we can't stay here. They'll find us sooner or later. We know what we gotta do, we have to get the word about Fillopav out."
Fatima scratched her scalp; her close-cropped hair having grown out noticeably over the last few days. "Why would anyone believe us?"
The group stood in silence for a moment. "We have to try," said Taro.
For the next few hours, they talked in circles. The fact that Fillopav had orchestrated the entire slaughterbot outbreak in order for his faction to gain control had to reach the government on Judian Orbital. However, under the guise of a data-quarantine, Fillopav's forces had blocked all non-official communication in and out of Aachen City. Even if they found a way to transmit, the news had to be credible but Taro and company were for all intents and purposes considered traitors to the Republic. Each of the various scenarios posited were deemed more futile than the last, none effective or survivable.
The hour was late. Fatima got up, "Fuck it. I'm going to sleep."
Zupong grunted concurrence.
"Fine," Taro said, "I'll take first watch." Taro was not really sure it made sense to pull guard duty seeing as they were holed up in an apartment with a single exit. Still, if anyone was going to bust the door down he was determined to empty his pistol before being cut down. Kapoc resumed his post in the back room where he was crafting knives for the group out of metal slivers.
Laura sat down next to Taro on the dusty couch near the door.
"Tired?" he asked.
"Yeah. Can't really sleep though."
Laura rested her head on Taro's shoulder.
Taro took her hand. "Sorry for getting you into this."
She gave a soft chuckle. "Yeah, that was kind of a dick move wasn't it? Don't sweat it. What choice did you have?"
Taro paused for a moment, chewing over her words then gasped. "That's it!"
Taro gathered the rest of the group into the flat's living room and gave them a quick pitch of the plan forming in his head.
After listening to it, Fatima sighed and rested her hands on her hips, "I don't think it's going to work, T."
"In theory, it is at least possible," remarked Kapoc.
"Exactly," said Taro. "It's been days and we haven't heard anything from Marius. We have to do something. The key is that the message about Fillopav has to look official. Laura, you could work the comms right? Get the message out with the proper ID?
Laura tugged on the bottom of her shirt, "Yeah, I suppose. But it would have to come from a sanctioned terminal."
"Okay, we find a government terminal and send the message so it looks like it came from someone reputable."
"Who?" asked Fatima.
"Laura, do you remember any of the ID codes from the 303rd?"
Laura nodded, "Yeah, but where? The data-quarantine means only the highest-level traffic is being let out. It can't just be any old comms terminal."
A bitter discussion ensued with all manner of ideas floated including sneaking back into Kohlstrasse Barracks. In the background, the flat's display screen flickered a news feed. Suddenly, Zupong extended a long finger towards the image. "What about there?" The group gazed at the cracked screen. A newsfeed showed images of Fillopav and his officials establishing a new headquarters in the city's administration complex.
"The old city hall?" asked Fatima.
"I bet they got working comms," said Laura.
"Yeah, but that's smackdab in the middle of the Acropolis."
Zupong grunted, "True. Many guards. How we get past?"
"Zu, you can't move in your condition." Fatima said.
Zupong tried to raise himself off the couch. The wounds he had suffered during their escape from prison made any movement difficult, despite the medical attention provided by Kapoc.
Taro lifted up a hand to stop Zupong. "Hey take it easy. Fatima's right. Plus, even if you weren't hurt, how many orangutangs you see walking around out there. I'm sorry Zupong but you'd be a dead giveaway."
Zupong lowered himself back onto the couch with a resigned huff.
"The rest of us would need disguises of course," said Kapoc.
"Right," said Taro, "We use some sort of disguise and time our entry with the assault on the north rim." For the last several days the newsfeeds had been crammed with reports of the impending attack on the slaughterbots' last stronghold on the crater's northern wall. "Everyone will be distracted watching that. It'll provide some cover.
"But Fillopav is there," said Laura.
Fatima gave a short laugh, "I doubt even he thinks we'd be dumb enough to walk right into his HQ."
"It would be unexpected," said Kapoc.
Taro cleared his throat, "It's our best… It's our only chance."
Over the next week they searched for some sort of disguise to gain entry into the Admin center. Any attempt to get military uniforms seemed suicidal. With hope exhausted, Kapoc found some old hazmat equipment in the bowels of the building's basement. They cobbled together three suitably sized suits out of the assortment. Though aged, they matched well enough the types seen worn throughout the city. Furthermore, the suits visored hoods would help hide their identities. The hardest tasked proved to be how to conceal Kapoc. The tall vec was sure to draw attention. Ultimately, a hazmat pushcart was rigged so Kapoc could just barely fit himself in behind its doors. They took turns rehearsing their cover stories and walking though scenarios of blustering their way past security.
The bombardment of the north rim had started earlier that morning. Though the sounds were muffled coming through the thin Martian air, they could feel the impact tremors beneath their feet.
"This is it guys. We have to go now," said Taro.
They said goodbye to Zupong.
Fatima bent down and hugged the ape. "Take care of yourself Zu."
Zupong whispered something into Fatima's ear and they hugged again.
Kapoc squeezed into the cart, folding his limbs to fit. They put the two pistols they had from the prison escape in as well before draping the cart with a bright plastic hazmat covering. Ready, Taro took a deep breath and rolled the cart into the alleyway behind the flat. The three hooded figures pushed the cart some six kilometers down streets and tunnels. As expected, everyone was glued to screens watching the assault, video of tracer rounds and red clouds of Martian dust erupting from orbital strikes. Twice they were stopped by security. Once Taro was retina scanned. At first, the scanner failed to register his iris. A second scan came back green and they were waved through. Obviously, Marius was still in the city's systems helping where he could.
Several elevator rides up and they neared the administration building. Like many Acropolis structures, its lower levels were underground, connected by pressurized tunnels while its superstructure extended above the surface.
They approached two armed guards by the gate.
"What's your business?" one asked.
"Cleaning crew. Got a call about a spill." said Fatima.
The guard eyed the trio. "I didn't hear about this. Get your hands up."
They raised their hands and the guard stepped forward with a magnetometer. He waved it over them, up and down their torsos then along each side of their arms and legs.
The guard moved his hand to the pistol grip on his rifle, "What's in the cart?".
"Cleaning gear." Fatima said.
"Mind if I take a look?"
"No." Fatima replied with just a moment of hesitation.
The guard reached for the plastic covering.
Taro chimed in "Hope you don't mind the smell. We just got done with a sewage leak down at the treatment plant."
The guard paused. He looked at Taro, then at the rest of the group. He stepped back and beckoned them through the gate. "Alright, move along."
"Thanks," replied Laura.
The administration building was ornate in the pre-Technocalypse style. Once polished stone and glass made dull by years of dust. Statues and murals of the city founders adorned the walls. Newly occupied, the ground was crisscrossed by cabling, and piles of crates and boxes littered the floor. They pushed their way through the lobby past a few bored looking guards. They stopped in front of a woman seated behind a cluttered desk looking engrossed at a news feed.
"'Excuse me ma'am, we got a call about a spill near the comms center," Taro said.
"21st floor, elevators to your left," the woman said without looking up.
Of the bank of elevators only one seemed to be working. They rode it up to a dimly let hallway, with most of the illumination provided by portable lamp stands in the corners. They wheeled down the hall until an open room filled with screens and wiring. Outside the window at the end of the hallway, the ledge of the building was festooned with antennae and dishes. In the distance, they could make out the flashes from ongoing explosions on the crater's rim.
There were four technicians in the room. A middle-aged man in uniform, two older women, and a boy in his late teens. All but the man in uniform wore headsets.
"What do you want?" the man said getting up from his chair.
"Um, we're here about the spill," said Taro.
"Spill, what spill? Where's your access badge?" The man said as he walked towards them.
Fatima fumbled with one of her suite's pockets. "Oh, mine's right here, its…" She took a thermos sized metal canister from the side of the cart and chucked it at the man's head. It crashed into his face.
"Fuck!" the man yelled as he fell to his knees. Hands clutching his nose.
Taro charged the man. Armed with another canister from the cart he slammed it down on his head. The man dropped to the floor, a pool of blood forming under him.
Laura flung open the cart and pulled out the pistols. She tossed one to Taro and the other to Fatima. The cart rocked as Kapoc pulled himself out.
The technicians startled to their feet, wide-eyed and confused.
"Against the wall now!" Fatima yelled brandishing the gun in their faces.
Keeping his weapon trained on the technicians, Taro ordered Kapoc to seal the door.
The vec moved quickly, slamming the door and started welding it shut.
Laura swung into a chair and started assessing the communications equipment. Her fingers flying over the keys.
They bound and gagged the technicians, leaving them on their stomachs in a corner.
"How long is this going to take?" asked Taro.
Laura brushed her hair back from her face, "I don't know, I don't know, I'm working as fast as I can."
"It's not gonna take them long to figure out something's wrong," said Fatima.
A few minutes later, someone tried to open the door.
"Hey Mark, open up," the voice said.
Taro answered back as calmly as he could.
"We're all good in here, just doing a sensitive system check. Be done in a few minutes"
"What? Who is this? Where's Mark?" Someone was now pounding on the door, "Open up now!"
Taro made his way over to Laura's chair, "We don't have long."
"I know, I know, I'm having to make my way through the security protocols before I can send the message."
As Laura worked the rest barricaded the door. Kapoc's strength proved necessary to move some of the bigger racks of equipment to make a barrier.
Attempts from the outside to ram the door open failed.
"They're gonna cut or blast their way in next." Said Taro.
They made another barricade out of desks and equipment for their last stand as Kapoc tried to cut a hole through the floor to escape.
"It's out!" Laura yelled. "The message's been sent."
"Keep sending it out," said Taro, "Send it as much as possible."
A series of thumping and clicking sounds came from the hallway.
"Here they come," said Fatima.
Kapoc looked up from the hole he was widening. "I need another minute."
Fatima and Taro crouched behind their barricade; pistols pointed towards the door.
"Don't let 'em take you…" but her words were cut short. A deafening explosion ripped the door open. A blinding array of light and noise filled the room. The shock wave hurled Taro against the wall and all went black.
Taro woke to searing pain in his head and back. Dazed, he struggled to get his bearings. He was unsure how long he had been out. His memories slowly filtered back in. He looked around. All he could see was blackness. He tried to rub his eyes, but his hands were zip tied behind his back.
"Kapoc… Fatima…Laura?" He choked out their names one at a time. No answer. He lay in the darkness trying to think as his head swirled with pain.
The door flew open, flooding the room with bright white light. Two figures grabbed Taro by his arms and dragged him out into the hallway. Taro tried to speak and was promptly hit in the face. His mouth filled with the taste of blood. Taro was dragged into a large room. Nearly a dozen people, many in uniform, hurried about talking frantically into headsets. Gunfire and explosions could be heard outside the building. The guards dropped Taro on the hard tile floor. The room was an atrium of sorts, with large trapezoid shaped windows facing out into the city. A figure plopped down beside him.
"Laura!" Taro gasped. "Are you okay?"
Laura didn't answer. She lay perfectly still. Taro could barely make out that she was breathing.
Kapoc and Fatima were dragged in a moment later. Fatima was gagged and her feet bound. She twitched violently against her restraints, pausing only briefly to look at Taro then down at Laura before resuming her struggle. Kapoc was also restrained but in heavier metal shackles; his spindly limbs pinned behind his torso.
They sat there in the middle of the atrium, largely ignored by the others in the room except for the three guards who hovered over them, rifles pointed at their backs. The doors at the far end of the atrium burst open. Officers clade in dark gray uniforms with red facings entered first, scanning the room. Fillopav followed close behind, flanked by two guards in rust colored power armor. The guards' long rifles panned the room. Fillopav's entry quieted the frantic personnel scurrying about the atrium as they stopped and stood.
Fillopav locked eyes with Taro. He strode across the atrium. He pointed a figure at the four captives. "Is this all of them?" he asked one of his officers.
"Yes Sir."
Fillopav grabbed Taro by the front of his ripped yellow hazmat suit. Taro's toes barely touched the ground as Fillopav held him centimeters from his face. Sweat beaded down the man's bald head.
"Do you realize what you've done?"
Taro tried to speak but the words failed to materialize.
One of Fillopav's officers cut in with an update. "Sir, they've entered the compound. 16th and 24th Brigade are failing to respond to comms, and we keep getting…"
"Silence."
Fillopav returned his attention to Taro. "No matter. You'll not live to see the consequences." Fillopav dropped Taro on his knees and took two steps back. "Kill them."
One of the guards in power armor grabbed Kapoc, the closest captive to him, sliding him along the floor.
"Kay!" Taro stammered.
Kapoc looked at Taro, his head resting against the floor. Kapoc started to speak, "It has been a…" The metallic boot crunched down on the vec's head.
"No!" Taro screamed.
Fatima, writhed on the floor.
The guard pumped his foot up and down smashing Kapoc's head as bits of plastic and computronium splintered. Milky cyber-hydraulic fluid squirting out onto the floor.
Fillopav pointed at Taro. "Him next."
The guard moved towards Taro, knocking him on his back. He raised a leg, then stopped. The raised limb twitched slightly. The whirl of mechanisms could be heard in the suit but it failed to move.
"Enough, finish him," said Fillopav.
The guard failed to move and stood frozen like a statue. A moment later, the guard slowly lowered the foot to the ground in a series of halting motions.
"What are you doing? I said…"
From the floor, Taro could make out the guard's face through the armor's visor. He was yelling, though the sounds were muffled as if his suit's speakers were malfunctioning. He seemed trapped inside, struggling against an unseen possessor.
Fillopav took several steps back. The other security personnel slowly raised their weapons at the guard.
"Marius." Taro muttered.
Kapoc's executioner swung his long black rifle towards the other guard. The room erupted with ear-splitting gunfire. The armored guards unloaded on each other, bullets smashing through the faceplates of both suits. Red gore poured out from the openings. The other guard crumpled to the ground, while the possessed suit staggered around the room, continuing to fire despite the body of its erstwhile driver being reduced to a mere headless passenger.
As the fighting continued, Fillopav darted from the room. The others continued to fire as the suit struggled about like a blood-splattered marionette.
Taro felt a sharp tug on his wrists. Fatima had rolled over to him and has pressing a sliver of metal against his hand ties. Taro sawed his wrists against the makeshift blade, cutting his forearms but after a moment freeing his hands. He ripped the gag off Fatima.
"Get Fillopav!" she screamed over the din.
On his hands and knees, Taro scrambled towards the door as bullets whizzed overhead. He wrenched the pistol from the hand of an officer who lay twitching on the floor coughing up blood. The door closed behind Taro as he bolted down a glass causeway. Below, he could make out intense firing as Martian troops battled each other for control of the building. The message Laura sent about Fillopav must have made it.
The causeway entered a tall cylinder-shaped building. As the door opened, a hand knocked Taro to the floor. Fillopav and Taro wrestled for the gun. Fillopav put his weight behind an elbow in Taro's throat. Taro felt the air squeezing out of him. As one hand struggled against Fillopav's arm the other wildly searched for the weapon. Taro fingers felt the plastic grip. Straining, he clasped it and buried the muzzle in Fillopav's side, firing two shots. Fillopav rolled off Taro with a yell. Taro staggered to his feet, coughing violently as he struggled to catch his breath. Fillopav's uniform grew dark as blood stains spread. He looked as if he was going to say something but Taro did not give him the chance and emptied the remaining three rounds of the clip into his chest.
By the time Taro had limped back to the atrium, a group of RDF militiamen were already evacuating the room. Corpses littered the floor along with the shattered remains of the two power armor suits. Atmosphere was slowly seeping out of the room through bullet holes in the glass. Medics tended to Fatima and Laura, both alive. A militiaman grabbed Taro and pinned him against a pillar.
"Don't hurt 'em. He's with us," a familiar voice said. It was Maza.
Taro sat up and swung his feet out of bed. Laura lay sleeping beside him. She had been staying over most nights for the past four weeks since the city's liberation from Fillopav. Taro made coffee and stood gazing out the living room window. Perched in a tower on the western slope of the Acropolis, the suite of rooms the government provided him had an excellent view. The sun was just cresting the horizon and a widening sheet of light fell across the crater's western rim. On the airstrip another shuttle landed. No doubt it was full of Earth refugees soon to become citizens. Below, drones and rovers scurried about hauling, repairing, rebuilding. Since the fight at the city admin building, most of their time had been filled with marathon debriefing sessions and Taro regretted not having seen more of the city up close.
His bracelet chirped with an incoming message.
"Yes?" Taro answered.
"Mr. Hashimoto, Mrs. Hashimoto has arrived."
"Right, I'll be down in a minute, thanks."
Dressing quickly, he kissed Laura and rode the elevator down to the lobby.
The lobby was bustling with administrators and security personnel. An attractive auburn-haired woman approached Taro. He recognized her immediately, but she proceeded with a formal introduction.
"Good morning, I'm Kanda Seydoux, public relations coordinator with the Directorate of Information, you'll remember us meeting on Judian."
Taro exchanged pleasantries with Seydoux before she led him into a marble tiled conference room. Seated at the table was Marius's bio-mechanical avatar, clad in his retro copper-colored pinstriped suit. Next to him was a short woman in her late thirties, her hands clasped together. Taro knew from their brief encounter in the virch simulation that the woman was his grandmother Moriko. Recently awakened from cryo-stasis she still had a vaguely sickly look to her like someone recovering from the flu. They stood and Moriko and Taro bowed to each other. Seydoux and her small team sat at the other end of the table, filming the encounter. They conversed, somewhat awkwardly at first, about Moriko's reanimation but then more casually about other topics. Taro had a hard time imagining this woman, only a dozen years or so older than himself, as his grandmother. Eventually Seydoux's team brought up a video call link to Taro's father Shigeru from Watkins station. When Shigeru saw his mother on the screen he began to cry. Moriko, decades younger than her son in appearance, cried as well. No doubt the reunion scene made compelling content for Seydoux, the Martian government's reclamation project successfully reuniting families. The three of them talked for the better part of an hour and over the course of the conversation Moriko agreed to travel to Watkins where she could help take care of the ailing Shigeru.
Marius stood and offered to clear the room so Moriko and Shigeru could talk in private.
As Taro rose to leave, his father called his name. "Taro, thank you son. Thank you."
Out in the hallway, Seydoux and her crew left to prepare for the afternoon's main event, a victory celebration in the city center.
Taro turned to Marius. "Thanks for holding up your end. You've made my dad very happy. But I gotta know something. Uploading that program into the RDF network. You knew we were going to get caught, but that us getting caught was the surest way to flush out Fillopav, didn't you?"
Marius's pale-skinned avatar paused for a moment, pressing his finger tips together. "I believed that was a distinct possibility, yes."
"Well, it cost Kapoc's life," Taro said a little too loudly, drawing looks from others in the hallway.
Marius cleared his throat. "I am sorry about your vec friend Mr. Hashimoto, truly. But I am programmed to care for the citizens of this city beyond all else. Kapoc sacrificed himself to that end and for that I am grateful. I did not intend for it to happen, but yes, I knew it was a risk. We all did, even Kapoc."
Taro sighed, not sure what to say next. He was still processing the loss of Kapoc. The memorial service conducted by the RDF the previous week had done little to ease the hurt. He asked Marius what was next for him now that the city was under Republican control.
"This new government has asked me to continue on as the city's utility and infrastructure manager, there is still much to do."
Later that day, Taro and Laura made their way into the enclosed plaza at the top of the Acropolis. The huge domed space was packed with citizens, civil servants, and military in dress uniforms. Security was tight as the Republic's leader Krisna Nur Nnamdi was in attendance.
"Over here Blondie!" Fatime waved Taro and Laura over to herself and Zupong.
Laura turned to Taro, running a hand over his neatly parted hair, now its natural dark color. "She's going to have to find you a new nickname."
The ceremony commenced with Nnamdi giving a speech denouncing the late treachery of Fillopav and his Pure Mars Bloc. She outlined the bright future that the Republic of Mars would have and how this city would serve as a beachhead in the efforts to reclaim the planet. She claimed that, "Like a red phoenix, Mars will rise from the ashes, a home to all, regardless of clade or creed." At the speech's conclusion, soldiers raised a large Martian tricolor over the plaza. Aircraft buzzed the dome overhead. All this was met with rapturous applause from the audience.
As celebrations filled the plaza, the four fell in with the 303rd for a private award ceremony in a nearby building. Laura had contacted their old battalion when sending out the transmission revealing Fillopav so it was the 303rd that ended up storming the city administration. The room snapped to attention, as Nnamdi entered. She pinned awards on them all, starting with Lieutenant Colonel Nasratullah. Captain Beason and Lieutenant Khanna were each promoted. When Nnamdi reached Taro, she lingered, taking time to talk to him. During his debriefings, Taro was told to keep the fact that he was the one who actually pulled the trigger on Fillopav quiet for security purposes, but it was clear that Nnamdi knew of his involvement.
"And special thanks for your service, young man," Nnamdi said as she pinned the medal on his tunic.
At the reception that followed, they mingled with their old RDF comrades. Fatima thought it was more than a little ironic that they were decorated by the same organization that had so zealously turned them over to Fillopav.
"What are you going to do now?" Taro asked Fatima.
"Don't know yet," Fatima said. "Zu are I are gonna find work here in the city. More room, more opportunity than back on Watkins."
"You gonna stay in the RDF?"
"I've seen enough. It's time we settle down, find something else" Zupong said before ambling over to the bar for a drink.
"So, you and Laura, huh?" Fatima said.
"Yeah, I guess so"
"That's great, T. You're good together."
"And you and Maza?"
"Eh, we'll see. We're keeping it simple for now."
"He's a good guy," said Taro.
"I thought you'd come around."
An hour or so later as they prepared to leave, Seydoux approached Taro alone. "I'd like for us to meet up tomorrow afternoon about your future employment."
"Back on Watkins Station?"
Seydoux smiled and laughed softly. "You could go back if you wanted, but the government thought you might be able to help us with something else, something a little more interesting…"
THE END
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Chapter 13
The percussive thumps of munition impacts sent small cascades of rust-colored dust from the ceiling. Only a few meters below the surface, the battle outside seemed close enough to touch.
"When do… do you think we'll be sent in?" asked Lopez.
"I don't know. Can't be much longer." Taro tried his best to project calm. Lopez had only been with Bravo Team for a few days, and this would be his first time in combat. Taro could see Lopez's fear in his eyes. He thought about his first fight at the metro station. It had been no more than two months, but it felt like a lifetime ago.
Lieutenant Khanna walked up and down the narrow corridor, the militiamen pressed against the dimly lit dirt walls forming a valley of armored limbs and weapons. "Squad leaders, word just came down from company. Sending time now."
Maza took a moment to read the order's details in his HUD before coming over the squad net. "Second squad, prepare for movement in five. Load your weapons, keep full safeties."
Taro checked his team. Fatima slid a grenade into her launcher, as Zupong racked rounds into his shotgun. Lopez fumbled with a rifle magazine before inserting it properly.
Taro thumbed the safety on Lopez's G71. "Safety on for now, okay?"
"Got it, right."
Taro pitied Lopez that this would be his first action. Not only would the assault on the Acropolis be the largest offensive since the initial outbreak, the terrain was daunting. Situated in the center of the northern half of Hale Crater, the heights of the Acropolis dominated Aachen City. Perched on several peaks that rose like a pimple from the crater floor, the Acropolis district was the city's administrative and cultural center before the Technocalypse. The slaughterbots had made it a primary target early in their attack, killing Governor Guetta and most of the territorial council. Since then, their domination of the Acropolis high ground had made surface movement perilous. Retaking it would do much to restore control of the city, though the slaughterbots' domination of the crater's north rim would still pose a problem. Taro's thoughts shifted from the big picture to the task at hand. Bravo Company's objective was the remains of the Berzeviczy, a museum complex nestled near the base of the Acropolis rise. Theirs was a supporting effort allowing other RDF and Republican Army units to take more important points higher up.
Kapoc came down the corridor carrying two large satchels of supplies, the low ceiling forcing him to stoop.
Taro grabbed the vec's lanky arm. "Hey Kapoc, take care of yourself out there."
Kapoc stared blankly at Taro for a second, before breaking into a forced smile, "Of course. You do the same."
The platoon shuffled down what must have been some sort of service way. As they turned the corner, Taro saw the company's weapons platoon staged on a low ramp before a metal door. Captain Beason and the company First Sergeant stood on either side. Through the tangled mass of militiamen, Taro could see Beason talking though he was not broadcasting on the company net so Taro could not make out what he was saying. Beason flung open the doors. A burst of sunlight and noise filled the tunnel. Led by Beason, the weapons platoon charged up the ramp, carrying rocket launchers and railguns or pushing bipedal autocannon. As soon as the last person cleared the ramp, the First Sergeant pulled the doors shut again.
Lieutenant Khanna came over the net. "First Platoon- move forward."
Senior Sergeant Stach took Beason's former position near the door. The diminutive Khanna walked up the ramp, her head now only slightly above the rest. "The heavy weapons platoon is providing covering fire. Follow your waypoints, keep your eyes forward, and keep moving."
The First Sergeant said something to Khanna over a private channel, then he and Stach flung open the doors. Taro's visor dimmed to adjust to the sunlight. Though briefed during the mission order, Taro could not help but feel surprised to find himself in Aachen City's cityscape of half-ruined buildings and towers after so long underground. To their front, the twisted hulk of a skyscraper stood between the platoon and the heights of the Acropolis, providing cover from direct fire. Even dulled by Mar's thin atmosphere and his suit's acoustics, the sounds of battle were intense. A near constant roar punctuated by sharp cracks and pops, all interlaced with the merging staccato of mass automatic weapons fire. As he led Bravo Team in a single file behind Alpha, Taro looked around. He had only been on the surface briefly when their shuttle crash landed, and though once again under fire, he stole glances at the gray-red sky peeking through the city's buildings. The platoon snaked its way around several buildings before coming to a wide intersection, the ruined remains of a roundabout in the center. Half of Bravo Company's heavy weapons platoon was positioned on the near side. At Captain Beason's command, grenadiers discharged a barrage of canisters forming a wall of smoke and chaff to obscure their crossing from the slaughterbots. The rest of the weapons platoon crossed, bounding across by teams to set up positions on the far side. The incoming fire was mild and sporadic at first but increased as more groups crossed as well.
"Our turn, First Platoon," Khanna said. She had barely finished her words when one of the covering autocannons let out a long burst of fire in the direction of the Acropolis. A streak of light, either a slaughterbot laser or rail projectile, tore back through the smoke, smashing the autocannon to pieces. "Shit! First Squad move out!" First Squad's Alpha Team made it across unscathed, but a militiaman from Bravo went down with a hit to the torso. Oxygen seeped out of the gash in his suit. With every gun system from the weapons platoon blazing, Kapoc sprinted to the downed man and dragged him across the intersection to safety.
"Second Squad, you're up!"
Maza's voice came over the net. "You heard the lady, Bravo Team."
Taro watched as they sprinted through a hail of incoming fire, plumes of dust sprouting by their feet.
"Alpha Team go!"
"On me Alpha." Taro's vision narrowed as he focused on the far side. Streaks of light, flashed across his visor.
About midway across the roundabout, Fatima screamed "Lopez!" Taro turned to find the young man down on the ground.
"Wait, help!" Lopez yelled.
Taro lunged back, grabbing Lopez by his weapon's strap, "Keep moving!" Zupong took the lead, as Taro and Fatima half dragged Lopez the remaining distance. Taro's team took cover behind the museum's outer wall. Taro called Kapoc over to check Lopez, but to everyone's relief he had merely tripped and was otherwise unscathed. As the rest of the company crossed, Khanna's platoon joined the heavy weapons platoon in providing covering fire up the slope of the Acropolis. When the last of the third platoon had arrived, the sapper team breached the museum's door and they entered their objective.
Dust kicked up by the breaching charges hung in the air. A few rust rats scampered away into holes in the wall. Lieutenant Khanna led the platoon into the Berzeviczy, preceded by a host of rolling and flying recon drones. "Second squad take the left. Third, you're on the right. First, follow me."
"Alright Second Squad, we're to take position on the western side near the north wall. Alpha Team, you're out front." Maza drawled.
"Roger that," replied Taro. "Zu, take point."
Zupong grunted an acknowledgement.
The dark museum swallowed them as they pushed forward, weapons ready at the shoulder.
"Get a load of this fucking place," Fatima's said over the team net.
"It's something," Taro said.
Left idle for decades, the Berzeviczy was undergoing renovation at the time of the slaughterbot outbreak. A number of exhibits had been refurbished, though the explosions had knocked many over. As they picked their way through the first floor, Taro could not help but look at some of the displays. Pictures along the walls detailed the earliest days of settlement in Hale Crater. Individuals in bulky white pressure suits planting the EuroFed flag, drones scrapping regolith over the initial habitats to protect from radiation. In the center of a room, an old-fashioned bot stood statuesque. Its six wheels permanently parked; a boom arm outstretched examining a rock.
Maza cut in on the squad net, "Pick up the pace Alpha."
"Roger. Let's stride it out team"
However, Zupong remained stopped at the edge of a rotunda. The glass dome lay in shards around the rusted hulk of a lander display. Sunlight filtered down from the exposed sky. The sounds of battle outside raged on but there had been no reports of firing inside from first or any other of the platoons.
"Zu, what is…"
Zupong raised his left fist, cutting him off. Taro radioed for the rest of the team to form a firing line. The ape-man stood motionless staring at the lander. He slowly raised his shotgun, training it on the relic.
Taro took position behind a column, "What do you…?"
"Contact!" Zupong yelled firing a round as the metallic bulk of a slaughterbot crawling up onto the lander.
"Take it out!" Taro let loose a long burst from his G71.
They riddled the slaughterbot and lander alike with bullets, before a grenade from Fatima's launcher put the attacker down.
Maza and Bravo team followed close behind, fanning out around the pillars that lined the base of rotunda. Taro was busy giving a situation report when Lopez screamed, "Look up!"
Above them slaughterbots crawled down the walls like ants descending a tunnel."
"Shit! they're coming in from outside," Fatima yelled.
The rotunda erupted into a whirlwind of fire.
Maza keyed the platoon net, "PL we're gonna need backup ASAP."
"Roger that. Third's in contact too. I'm coming with first to re-enforce. Hold on," said Khanna.
A slaughterbot fell, crashing into the tile floor. Zupong pumped shells into its twitching body. Fatima sent a grenade high towards the opening in the ceiling. Chunks of masonry and debris tumbled towards the ground. The air was choked with dust and smoke, as their visors adjusted to non-visible light readouts.
Khanna arrived with first squad, as more slaughterbots burst through the doors on the far side of the colonnade. The room's circular shape posed a nasty tactical problem. Having to fire horizontally to cover the ground level, the militiamen were unable to deploy to the other side of the rotunda for fear of hitting their own troops. This left a blind spot on the nearside wall, as hunter-killers came down from the ceiling. A slaughterbot landed in front of Fatima. Before she could fire, it ripped the grenade launcher from her hand with enough force to send her skidding towards the center of the rotunda.
"I got her!" yelled Taro as he emptied the rest of his magazine into the slaughterbot. The machine whirled as the armor piercing rounds from Taro's rifle ripped into its body. Critically damaged it tried to lunge at Taro but its limbs failed. Lopez and Zupong finished it off as he bounded towards Fatima. "Cover me!" He grabbed Fatima by a strap on her suit and dragged her back to the columns ringing the room. As Taro assessed Fatima's injuries, Lieutenant Khanna's voice cut in over the noise of battle "The Captain's taking a platoon to clear the roof. Keep up the heat."
"Fatima, you okay?"
"Yeah, I'm okay… my arm."
"Kapoc we need you over here."
The vec soon appeared, medkit and tools in tow. "Her condition is stable. I have it from here."
The fighting continued for a few more minutes before Khanna chimed in. "Ceasefire, ceasefire. Third platoons captured the roof. Keep pushing towards the north wall."
The platoon cleared a few more rooms before finally reaching their objective. The unnerving thought of hunter-killers lurking under the tarpaulin-covered artifacts slowed their advance, but after the fight at the rotunda it seemed the slaughterbots had conceded the museum to the RDF. Taro emplaced his team at intervals along the exterior walls and marked their fields of fire.
Fatima slumped down, next to a shattered window.
"How's your arm?" asked Taro.
Fatima made a show of rotating her shoulder. "Fuckin hurts, but I don't think anything's broken."
"Glad to hear that."
"You saved my life, Taro. Thanks."
Taro leaned in and rested the front of his helmet against Fatima's. They stood there in silence for a moment acknowledging the gravity of what they had just been through. "I wouldn't want to see anything happen to you."
Senior Sergeant Stach's radioed in, "All teams conduct weapon and ammo checks. Squad leaders report when you're up."
Taro did his check. Amazingly all of his team was alive, though Lopez had shot all of his ammunition as green troops are known to do. Taro peered uphill. He could make out a detachment of Regulars in power armor making their way into a building near the summit. A large mech stood guard outside providing suppressive fire. He took a moment to think about his first combat performance as team leader. Not too bad, he thought, then checked to make sure his hands were not shaking.
Chapter 14
Taro heard the music before he had finished passing through the Kohlstrasse decon checkpoint. Bravo was the last company to return from the operation, and the rest of the battalion had wasted no time in celebrating their victory. Militiamen, most with their jackets off, leaned over the railings at various levels, calling out to each other. On the street below, groups formed small circles where the more virtuosic danced in the center. More cheering broke out, when the newsfeeds showed a group of armored infantry from the 14th Republican Grenadiers raising the Martian tricolor over the Acropolis's peak. Per Stach's insistence, they gave their gear a quick cleaning before joining the revelry.
Lieutenant Khanna gathered the platoon around before dismissing them. "Once again, fantastic job out there. Special thanks to Kapoc. You saved some lives out there. Great work."
They applauded Kapoc who stood motionless as if embarrassed. Zupong jumped up on his shoulders, hooting and swinging his arms, which prompted more cheering.
"All right First Platoon, go have fun but remember it isn't over yet. We're back at it tomorrow. Dismissed."
"Let's get some drinks," said Fatima.
"You coming Kapoc?" asked Taro.
"Unfortunately, no. I have to man the company staff duty desk this evening."
Maza punched the vec's arm. "You'll be missed."
Lieutenant Colonel Nasratullah had authorized the distribution of alcohol, and the squad queued up outside of Otto's. A specialist from S4, the supply section, doled out cans of beer.
"Swipe here. Two cans maximum."
Taro waved his bracelet over the scanner and picked up the cans. "It's warm," he said.
"Beggars can't be choosers. Next."
The group found an open spot on the Kohlstrasse street. Using some plastic crates and drums as tables, they cracked open their beers.
Maza lifted up his can. "Here's to a job well done Second Squad."
Zupong chugged his drink, crushing the can in his hand as he finished. "Lopez did good, very good for the first mission," Zupong said through a belch.
Taro gave Lopez a smack on the shoulder. "He sure did,"
The squad chatted, swapping war stories.
Laura made her way over to the group. "Y'all just gonna stand there? Come dance with us."
Most of the squad made their way over to a larger group near a speaker. Warmed by room temperature beer and the joy of being alive, some danced while others looked on.
"Crank it," Zupong instructed the militiamen controlling the music.
Taro looked at Fatima. "Want to dance?"
"Sure."
Fatima kept her drink in hand, swaying to the music. At the end of song, she walked off the floor and perched on top of a crate near Maza and Zupong. Before he could follow Fatima, Laura grabbed Taro's hand. She backed up against him, dancing close. Her blond hair brushing across his face, as she swished her head back and forth. Laura was a good dancer, but Taro concentrated on Fatima who was busy whispering something into Maza's ear. Maza smiled and left the group. Seeing an opening, Taro thanked Laura for the dance, and sat down next to Fatima.
After some small talk Fatima leaned forward. "I'm bushed. Think I'm gonna find a quiet place to lie down. I'll see you later." Fatima said.
The way she said those last words struck Taro as playful, even inviting. He played it cool for a few minutes, not wanting to seem too eager. Then followed her towards the old storefront that now served as the company's headquarters. Inside, Kapoc sat behind the staff duty desk monitoring a message terminal.
"Hey Kapoc, you see where Fatima went?"
"I believe she's in the convalescence room. But…"
"Thanks." Taro walked down the hall. Each squad was assigned a convalescence room for the recovery of ill or wounded militiamen. As their squad had not suffered any serious wounded during the battle for the Acropolis it should be unoccupied. Taro gave a perfunctory knock, and pulled the door open. The sight of Fatima's bare back greeted him. Her dark skinned gleamed with a thin sheen of sweat. Bruises from her fight with the slaughterbot visible on her shoulder. For an instant, he thought he had caught Fatima changing, perhaps she was ready for him. But his eyes were immediately drawn to a pair of pale white hands gripping her thin waist. Taro stood there more paralyzed than at any point during his first firefight. Fatima writhed up and down, as two large hairy legs shifted from under her. She twisted to look over her shoulder, exposing the side of her breast.
"Get out!" she gasped.
Maza's bearded face came into view from around Fatima. He kicked the door closed, nearly hitting Taro in the nose. Taro staggered back, as if slowly retreating from a dangerous animal. His brain struggled to process what he had seen. As reality set it, blood rushed to his face. Taro spun around and steamed towards the door. Kapoc tried to say something to him but Taro brushed past the vec.
"You could have fucking said something."
Taro pushed through the crowd, still going strong in the street. He could not bear to hear the music and laughter. He found a room that the platoon often used for briefings unoccupied. He sat there, along amongst the tables and chairs stewing for the better part of an hour.
Eventually, Fatima walked through the door. "Thought I'd find you here."
Taro looked past Fatima, not responding.
"Dude, you gotta knock." She said with a slight chuckle.
Taro sat there mute.
Fatima placed her hands on her hips. "What are you upset with me about? You walked in on us."
Taro's gut churned as he struggled to find the words. He wanted to yell at Fatima. Demand to know why she had led him on. Why she wanted to hurt him. After a moment all he could manage was "I can't believe you."
"Believe what?
"Maza. Really?" Taro looked into Fatima's eyes.
She saw his pain. "Listen Taro, we've been friends awhile, right? Good friends."
"Yeah."
"Well. That's how I like it. I wouldn't…I wouldn't want to change that."
Taro was about to throw it all back at Fatima. Why the kiss back on Watkins Station? Why the suggestion that he follow her to the convalescence room? But his anger was sideswiped as a wave of embracement crashed over him. Realization set in. Realization that he might have been wrong about everything. Had he read their friendship wrong? Had this romance been all in his head?
Taro swallowed hard and looked at the ground. "I thought… I thought things were different."
Fatima opened her mouth to speak, but a voice cut her off.
"Stop right there. Put your hands in the air."
Turning, a squad of uniformed men stood weapons trained on them. Helmets hid their faces. They wore body armor and the black armbands of the military police.
"Whoa! What the fuck is this?" Fatima said.
"You're under arrest. Hands in the air!" The MPs swarmed them, forcing them to the ground. They twisted their arms behind their backs and placed heavy cuffs on their wrists. The MPs hauled Taro and Fatima out into the Kohlstrasse street. Kapoc and there shackled, peppering his captors with questions. Zupong was resisting furiously, with four men struggling to place leg restraints on the ape-man. An MP officer was busy talking to Captain Beason and Lieutenant Khanna who exchanged concerned looks with Taro.
A scream echoed out of the S6. Laura was dragged out, tears in her eyes.
"Hey, let her go." Taro said before a rifle butt to the stomach knocked the wind out of him.
An MP bent down, placing his visored helmet next to Taro's head as he struggled to breath. "Save your strength traitor, you're gonna need it."
The military police unceremoniously shoved the five of them into a wheeled transport. The rear metal door slammed shut behind them. Any attempt to speak above a bare whisper was silenced by the guard riding in the cab. The word "traitor" repeated in a loop in Taro's mind. He sat cuffed in the windowless vehicle, wondering where they were going. Fatima and Zupong were downcast, raising their eyes only to give Taro frowns and accusatory looks. Kapoc's stoic deportment had a forced air to it. Laura was more confused than anything. Her eyes searched for any clue as to what was happening and why she had been arrested. The drive lasted a near eternity before the transport slowed to a halt.
The lack of windows indicated that they were still subterranean. But then again, prisons were not exactly known for their views.
"Where are we?" asked Fatima.
"Quiet," replied the guard. ;
Split up, they were each placed in a cell. Taro stole a glance at his friends before they were separated, unsure if they would ever see each other again. The room was spartan. Barely enough room for the low single bed, toilet and sink. Taro sat; the heavy cuffs still locked around his wrists. His mind swirled. Should he tell them about Marius? Would they believe him? Would his friends tell?
Alone with his thoughts, Taro struggled to remember a time when he had been so bereft of stimuli. No sounds, no screens, just four walls. He decided the closest were the Buddhist meditation sessions his father had tried to get him to attend on Watkins, but even at those there was the smell of burning incense and soft Zen music. Hours passed. The door of the cell flashed transparent. A guard on the other side, banged a hand against the material. "You. Get up."
He stood facing the door. It retracted, and Taro stepped out into the corridor.
The guard pushed Taro in the back. "Move it." He was frog marched down a series of long hallways before being placed in a small conference room. There were tables and chairs, but he was not permitted to sit. After some time, a new group of guards entered the room. They were dressed in darker gray uniforms than the prison personnel, their boots polished to a high shine. They took position around the room. A man entered, his bald head and catlike eyes making him instantly recognizable.
"Mr. Hashimoto, I am Legate Chao Fillopav"
Taro stood wide eyed. "I… I know. We…"
"Yes. Yes. On Judian, I'm sure. Please have a seat." The two sat down across from each other at a short table. "Do you know why you've been arrested and why I'm taking the time to talk to you now?"
Taro swallowed hard. He knew better than to incriminate himself. "No, I don't."
Fillopav gave a tired sigh, rubbing his nose with a thumb. "I assure you that's not the way you'll want to handle this. As you well know we've tracked a particularly nasty piece of malware back to the 303rd's communication section. This virus just so happened to appear a few days after your mysterious sojourn in the bowels of Aachen City. And wouldn't you know it, security cameras have you entering the S6 mere moments before the first traces of this contagion were detected. Since then, this virus has been wreaking holy hell with our systems, burrowing into zettabytes of data, and endangering untold lives." Fillopav leaned forward for emphasis. "I can't help you if you don't tell me. So, I'll ask just one more time, do you know why… you… are… here?"
Taro's heart raced. He's eyes locked with Fillopav's. "Yes sir."
Fillopav smiled, resting his forearms on the table. "I thought as much. Tell me everything Hashimoto. Start at the beginning."
Taro related the whole experience. How they had been cut off from their unit. The fall down the elevator shaft. Fillopav listened intently about Marius, bobbing his head and encouraging Taro to continue.
"Legate Fillopav, we weren't' trying to put anyone in danger. Laura... Specialist Ensley, she didn't have anything to do with it. This Marius said that we shouldn't tell anyone, because it was important, said the whole city was in danger."
"From the slaughterbots?" Fillopav asked in his urbane voice.
"Yes, but he said that there was someone orchestrating the entire attack, that it wasn't some latent outbreak from the Technocalypse."
The smile that Filllopav had plastered on his face, gave way. Not entirely, but enough for Taro to notice. "He said, what… exactly?"
"Marius said that someone or some group is controlling the slaughterbots. That's what he told us."
"Did he say who?"
"No, he didn't know. That's what he said the program would find out. That bastard must have lied to me. I should have known he was something bad."
Fillopav stared at Taro for a moment, as silence hung in the room. He cocked his head to the side, studying Taro as a cat would a mouse. "I see," Fillopav said. He reached over grabbing Taro by the hair and slammed his face into the table.
"Fuck!" Taro screamed. Pain exploded across his face. He tried to raise his cuffed hands to his nose, blood running into his mouth.
Fillopav stood up in a flash. He jutted a finger at one of the guards. "Get him to the interrogation cell. I want every last detail pried from his brain before they're through with him. Same with the others."
A guard punched Taro in the small of the back, before placing him in a chokehold. Taro watched Fillopav turn and leave. Utter confusion reigned in Taro's head as he was manhandled out of the room before clarity struck like a lightning bolt. It was him. It was Fillopav. He was the one controlling it all.
The guards hauled Taro down a corridor and some stairs. A narrow-unmarked door opened, and he was thrown in side. On his knees, Taro clutched his nose trying to stymie the flow of blood. As if from nowhere, something yanked Taro from the floor and unceremoniously dropped him on a cold metallic table. He tried to see who or what it was but the bright light overhead blinded him. Taro resisted, but his assailant's grip was so strong that he knew it must be a machine of some kind. A whirl of activity, and his wrists and ankles were locked into restraints. A rectangular head leered over him, silhouetted from behind by the light. The camera stalks that served as eyes glowed.
The bot held up an appendage tipped with a taser, crackling with electricity. "You have been identified as a criminal. You will provide every detail of your crimes." The bot spoke with a harsh artificial voice.
Taro spat out blood that had dripped into his mouth. "Let me out!"
The bot jabbed the taser into Taro's side.
Taro's jaws clenched shut as his entire body spasmed in pain.
"You will not be released until you have provided all required information. Who were your accomplices?"
"I… I… didn't have… have any help." Taro stammered.
The bot shocked Taro again in the same soft spot between his ribs.
Taro screamed.
"There is reason to think otherwise. Who were your accomplices?"
"Fuck… You…!"
The bot went to stab Taro again, but a few centimeters before the prod made contact with his skin, it stopped. Taro lay there. He eyes closed and body tense. He listened to the crackling of the taser waiting for it to strike. The noise stopped. Slowly, Taro opened his eyes, assuming that some new torture was about to be implemented. The interrogator bot stood over him, frozen like a statue. The only noise came from the slow spinning of its eye stocks as if its camera were trying to get in focus.
Finally, the bot spoke. "Mr. Hashimoto, are you all right?"
The urbane voice was instantly recognizable. Taro lay stunned, staring at the bot.
The restrains on his arms and legs sprang open. Taro propped himself up, panting to regain his breath.
"Are you badly hurt?" the bot said again.
"Get the fuck away from me."
"It's all right Mr. Hashimoto, I'm in control of this bot now. It can't hurt you."
"Marius? How?"
"Well, I don't mind telling you it wasn't easy. It took me longer than expected to override their security protocols without them knowing about it, but now I can access most of the..."
Taro interrupted, "I know who it is. I know who's behind the slaughterbot outbreak."
"Who?"
"First, we have to get the others and get the hell outta here."
A pause hung in the air. "You think if you tell me now I wouldn't help you?"
"I'm done with taking chances," said Taro.
"Very well. Though I find your lack of trust distasteful we can do it your way. As I was saying, I can access a good portion of the facility's cameras and doors. But we will need to be quick."
"How far away are they?"
"Not far. Two levels up. We'll need to make this look convincing though." Marius threw Taro a pair of large handcuffs hanging near the door. "Let's put these on."
They rounded a corner. Two guards, a large one and a smaller bald one, emerged from a room down the hall.
"Hey stop there. What are you doing with him?"
Marius jerked Taro to a halt. He spoke in the voice of the interrogator bot. "Moving the prisoner to a new cell. The prisoner is cooperative."
"I didn't get anything authorizing a transfer." The larger man said turning to his partner. "Call this in."
Marius dragged Taro closer, closing the distance with the guards. "Unnecessary, transfer has already been approved."
"Unnecessary? Who the… Hey, why is an interrogator handling a transfer?"
The guard reached for his pistol. In a flash, Marius grabbed the guard's wrist, crushing it. The pistol dropped to the floor. Before the guard could scream, Marius tased him under the chin. Taro bashed the bald guard in the face with the side of his heavy cuffs. The guard dropped to his knees, and Taro brought the cuffs down hard on the back of his head. He went limp. Taro picked up the guards' guns and shoved them into the waistband of his pants.
Marius removed the cuffs from Taro's hands. "We need to hurry."
The two took a flight stairs and rounded a few more corners before arriving at the cell block, luckily not encountering any more security.
"Can you open it?" asked Taro.
"I'll try, their countermeasures are picking up. They know something's in the system."
The cell door whished open. Fatima, Zupong, Kapoc, and Laura stared at the interrogator bot in apprehensive silence before Taro pushed into the room.
"Taro!" Laura said with evident relief.
"Come on, we're getting outta here."
"What happened to your face, Taro?" Kapoc asked.
"I'll tell you all later, but we gotta move." Taro handed a pistol to Fatima.
"Here take this, I don't think its bio-locked."
Fatima looked at the firearm in her hand then at the bot still standing in the doorway. "Where'd you get this? What the hell is that thing?"
"Good to see you as well, Ms. Akmal." Marius said.
Zupong let out a loud grunt denoting understanding.
"Oh shit," said Fatima.
"There's no time guys, we gotta…" but Taro was interrupted by the wailing of an alarm.
"Follow me, I have identified an exit," Marius said.
They sprinted down the hall to a stairwell. The lights flicked on and off.
Marius took the lead. "They're attempting to regain control of the facility's systems. We need to get you out." They rounded a corner and found a guard, weapon drawn, a few meters away.
"On the ground now!" the guard screamed.
Marius charged. Shots rang out with several striking Marius in the torso before he subdued the guard with a shock to the neck.
"You, okay?" asked Taro.
"This bot is damaged. Quick, over here."
Marius ripped an access panel off the wall, revealing a crawl space. "This will take you out of the prison."
"You're not coming with us?" asked Fatima.
"The bot would be too conspicuous. I'll try and divert security the best I can, now go."
"Thanks Marius," said Taro.
"I'll contact you when I can. Get your friends to safety."
They crawled in and Marius fixed the panel back on the wall. They moved along on their hands and knees in the darkness, the only light provided by the glow of Kapoc's eyes. Soon all they could hear was the fading alarm and muffled gunshots.
Chapter 15
Taro tried to walk as casually as he could through the street. His hands clasped to two small paper cups filled with now tepid coffee. Marius's programs were still masking them from the automated recognition scans, but wanted posters flashed periodically on street corners and his face was among the images that cycled through. Taro bent his head down under his jacket's hood trying to hide as much as possible from the civilian refugees and the occasional security guard. He turned down an alleyway and bounded up a short metal stairwell before using his foot to knock four times on a nondescript metal door. The door cracked slightly before Laura pulled it open.
"Hey," she said.
It had been three days since they managed their escape, and this had only been their second foray out from their hiding place, a filthy flat in a busted tenement repurposed by refugees turned squatters.
Taro handed Laura one of the coffees. "Sorry, this was all I could find."
Laura took a sip. "Any food?"
"Just a few nutrient bars. Hard to get issued a larger ration alone."
She passed the cup to Fatima, then pulled her hair back into a short pony tail. "Thanks, Taro. Any trouble?".
"Not really, they're still looking for us though."
Fatima ripped open a nutrient bar package, "So what's the move?"
"Could we get back down to Marius's level?" Kapoc asked.
Zupong grunted, "What for? In time they find us there."
"He's right," said Taro. "We can't run and we can't stay here. They'll find us sooner or later. We know what we gotta do, we have to get the word about Fillopav out."
Fatima scratched her scalp; her close-cropped hair having grown out noticeably over the last few days. "Why would anyone believe us?"
The group stood in silence for a moment. "We have to try," said Taro.
For the next few hours, they talked in circles. The fact that Fillopav had orchestrated the entire slaughterbot outbreak in order for his faction to gain control had to reach the government on Judian Orbital. However, under the guise of a data-quarantine, Fillopav's forces had blocked all non-official communication in and out of Aachen City. Even if they found a way to transmit, the news had to be credible but Taro and company were for all intents and purposes considered traitors to the Republic. Each of the various scenarios posited were deemed more futile than the last, none effective or survivable.
The hour was late. Fatima got up, "Fuck it. I'm going to sleep."
Zupong grunted concurrence.
"Fine," Taro said, "I'll take first watch." Taro was not really sure it made sense to pull guard duty seeing as they were holed up in an apartment with a single exit. Still, if anyone was going to bust the door down he was determined to empty his pistol before being cut down. Kapoc resumed his post in the back room where he was crafting knives for the group out of metal slivers.
Laura sat down next to Taro on the dusty couch near the door.
"Tired?" he asked.
"Yeah. Can't really sleep though."
Laura rested her head on Taro's shoulder.
Taro took her hand. "Sorry for getting you into this."
She gave a soft chuckle. "Yeah, that was kind of a dick move wasn't it? Don't sweat it. What choice did you have?"
Taro paused for a moment, chewing over her words then gasped. "That's it!"
Taro gathered the rest of the group into the flat's living room and gave them a quick pitch of the plan forming in his head.
After listening to it, Fatima sighed and rested her hands on her hips, "I don't think it's going to work, T."
"In theory, it is at least possible," remarked Kapoc.
"Exactly," said Taro. "It's been days and we haven't heard anything from Marius. We have to do something. The key is that the message about Fillopav has to look official. Laura, you could work the comms right? Get the message out with the proper ID?
Laura tugged on the bottom of her shirt, "Yeah, I suppose. But it would have to come from a sanctioned terminal."
"Okay, we find a government terminal and send the message so it looks like it came from someone reputable."
"Who?" asked Fatima.
"Laura, do you remember any of the ID codes from the 303rd?"
Laura nodded, "Yeah, but where? The data-quarantine means only the highest-level traffic is being let out. It can't just be any old comms terminal."
A bitter discussion ensued with all manner of ideas floated including sneaking back into Kohlstrasse Barracks. In the background, the flat's display screen flickered a news feed. Suddenly, Zupong extended a long finger towards the image. "What about there?" The group gazed at the cracked screen. A newsfeed showed images of Fillopav and his officials establishing a new headquarters in the city's administration complex.
"The old city hall?" asked Fatima.
"I bet they got working comms," said Laura.
"Yeah, but that's smackdab in the middle of the Acropolis."
Zupong grunted, "True. Many guards. How we get past?"
"Zu, you can't move in your condition." Fatima said.
Zupong tried to raise himself off the couch. The wounds he had suffered during their escape from prison made any movement difficult, despite the medical attention provided by Kapoc.
Taro lifted up a hand to stop Zupong. "Hey take it easy. Fatima's right. Plus, even if you weren't hurt, how many orangutangs you see walking around out there. I'm sorry Zupong but you'd be a dead giveaway."
Zupong lowered himself back onto the couch with a resigned huff.
"The rest of us would need disguises of course," said Kapoc.
"Right," said Taro, "We use some sort of disguise and time our entry with the assault on the north rim." For the last several days the newsfeeds had been crammed with reports of the impending attack on the slaughterbots' last stronghold on the crater's northern wall. "Everyone will be distracted watching that. It'll provide some cover.
"But Fillopav is there," said Laura.
Fatima gave a short laugh, "I doubt even he thinks we'd be dumb enough to walk right into his HQ."
"It would be unexpected," said Kapoc.
Taro cleared his throat, "It's our best… It's our only chance."
Over the next week they searched for some sort of disguise to gain entry into the Admin center. Any attempt to get military uniforms seemed suicidal. With hope exhausted, Kapoc found some old hazmat equipment in the bowels of the building's basement. They cobbled together three suitably sized suits out of the assortment. Though aged, they matched well enough the types seen worn throughout the city. Furthermore, the suits visored hoods would help hide their identities. The hardest tasked proved to be how to conceal Kapoc. The tall vec was sure to draw attention. Ultimately, a hazmat pushcart was rigged so Kapoc could just barely fit himself in behind its doors. They took turns rehearsing their cover stories and walking though scenarios of blustering their way past security.
The bombardment of the north rim had started earlier that morning. Though the sounds were muffled coming through the thin Martian air, they could feel the impact tremors beneath their feet.
"This is it guys. We have to go now," said Taro.
They said goodbye to Zupong.
Fatima bent down and hugged the ape. "Take care of yourself Zu."
Zupong whispered something into Fatima's ear and they hugged again.
Kapoc squeezed into the cart, folding his limbs to fit. They put the two pistols they had from the prison escape in as well before draping the cart with a bright plastic hazmat covering. Ready, Taro took a deep breath and rolled the cart into the alleyway behind the flat. The three hooded figures pushed the cart some six kilometers down streets and tunnels. As expected, everyone was glued to screens watching the assault, video of tracer rounds and red clouds of Martian dust erupting from orbital strikes. Twice they were stopped by security. Once Taro was retina scanned. At first, the scanner failed to register his iris. A second scan came back green and they were waved through. Obviously, Marius was still in the city's systems helping where he could.
Several elevator rides up and they neared the administration building. Like many Acropolis structures, its lower levels were underground, connected by pressurized tunnels while its superstructure extended above the surface.
They approached two armed guards by the gate.
"What's your business?" one asked.
"Cleaning crew. Got a call about a spill." said Fatima.
The guard eyed the trio. "I didn't hear about this. Get your hands up."
They raised their hands and the guard stepped forward with a magnetometer. He waved it over them, up and down their torsos then along each side of their arms and legs.
The guard moved his hand to the pistol grip on his rifle, "What's in the cart?".
"Cleaning gear." Fatima said.
"Mind if I take a look?"
"No." Fatima replied with just a moment of hesitation.
The guard reached for the plastic covering.
Taro chimed in "Hope you don't mind the smell. We just got done with a sewage leak down at the treatment plant."
The guard paused. He looked at Taro, then at the rest of the group. He stepped back and beckoned them through the gate. "Alright, move along."
"Thanks," replied Laura.
The administration building was ornate in the pre-Technocalypse style. Once polished stone and glass made dull by years of dust. Statues and murals of the city founders adorned the walls. Newly occupied, the ground was crisscrossed by cabling, and piles of crates and boxes littered the floor. They pushed their way through the lobby past a few bored looking guards. They stopped in front of a woman seated behind a cluttered desk looking engrossed at a news feed.
"'Excuse me ma'am, we got a call about a spill near the comms center," Taro said.
"21st floor, elevators to your left," the woman said without looking up.
Of the bank of elevators only one seemed to be working. They rode it up to a dimly let hallway, with most of the illumination provided by portable lamp stands in the corners. They wheeled down the hall until an open room filled with screens and wiring. Outside the window at the end of the hallway, the ledge of the building was festooned with antennae and dishes. In the distance, they could make out the flashes from ongoing explosions on the crater's rim.
There were four technicians in the room. A middle-aged man in uniform, two older women, and a boy in his late teens. All but the man in uniform wore headsets.
"What do you want?" the man said getting up from his chair.
"Um, we're here about the spill," said Taro.
"Spill, what spill? Where's your access badge?" The man said as he walked towards them.
Fatima fumbled with one of her suite's pockets. "Oh, mine's right here, its…" She took a thermos sized metal canister from the side of the cart and chucked it at the man's head. It crashed into his face.
"Fuck!" the man yelled as he fell to his knees. Hands clutching his nose.
Taro charged the man. Armed with another canister from the cart he slammed it down on his head. The man dropped to the floor, a pool of blood forming under him.
Laura flung open the cart and pulled out the pistols. She tossed one to Taro and the other to Fatima. The cart rocked as Kapoc pulled himself out.
The technicians startled to their feet, wide-eyed and confused.
"Against the wall now!" Fatima yelled brandishing the gun in their faces.
Keeping his weapon trained on the technicians, Taro ordered Kapoc to seal the door.
The vec moved quickly, slamming the door and started welding it shut.
Laura swung into a chair and started assessing the communications equipment. Her fingers flying over the keys.
They bound and gagged the technicians, leaving them on their stomachs in a corner.
"How long is this going to take?" asked Taro.
Laura brushed her hair back from her face, "I don't know, I don't know, I'm working as fast as I can."
"It's not gonna take them long to figure out something's wrong," said Fatima.
A few minutes later, someone tried to open the door.
"Hey Mark, open up," the voice said.
Taro answered back as calmly as he could.
"We're all good in here, just doing a sensitive system check. Be done in a few minutes"
"What? Who is this? Where's Mark?" Someone was now pounding on the door, "Open up now!"
Taro made his way over to Laura's chair, "We don't have long."
"I know, I know, I'm having to make my way through the security protocols before I can send the message."
As Laura worked the rest barricaded the door. Kapoc's strength proved necessary to move some of the bigger racks of equipment to make a barrier.
Attempts from the outside to ram the door open failed.
"They're gonna cut or blast their way in next." Said Taro.
They made another barricade out of desks and equipment for their last stand as Kapoc tried to cut a hole through the floor to escape.
"It's out!" Laura yelled. "The message's been sent."
"Keep sending it out," said Taro, "Send it as much as possible."
A series of thumping and clicking sounds came from the hallway.
"Here they come," said Fatima.
Kapoc looked up from the hole he was widening. "I need another minute."
Fatima and Taro crouched behind their barricade; pistols pointed towards the door.
"Don't let 'em take you…" but her words were cut short. A deafening explosion ripped the door open. A blinding array of light and noise filled the room. The shock wave hurled Taro against the wall and all went black.
Taro woke to searing pain in his head and back. Dazed, he struggled to get his bearings. He was unsure how long he had been out. His memories slowly filtered back in. He looked around. All he could see was blackness. He tried to rub his eyes, but his hands were zip tied behind his back.
"Kapoc… Fatima…Laura?" He choked out their names one at a time. No answer. He lay in the darkness trying to think as his head swirled with pain.
The door flew open, flooding the room with bright white light. Two figures grabbed Taro by his arms and dragged him out into the hallway. Taro tried to speak and was promptly hit in the face. His mouth filled with the taste of blood. Taro was dragged into a large room. Nearly a dozen people, many in uniform, hurried about talking frantically into headsets. Gunfire and explosions could be heard outside the building. The guards dropped Taro on the hard tile floor. The room was an atrium of sorts, with large trapezoid shaped windows facing out into the city. A figure plopped down beside him.
"Laura!" Taro gasped. "Are you okay?"
Laura didn't answer. She lay perfectly still. Taro could barely make out that she was breathing.
Kapoc and Fatima were dragged in a moment later. Fatima was gagged and her feet bound. She twitched violently against her restraints, pausing only briefly to look at Taro then down at Laura before resuming her struggle. Kapoc was also restrained but in heavier metal shackles; his spindly limbs pinned behind his torso.
They sat there in the middle of the atrium, largely ignored by the others in the room except for the three guards who hovered over them, rifles pointed at their backs. The doors at the far end of the atrium burst open. Officers clade in dark gray uniforms with red facings entered first, scanning the room. Fillopav followed close behind, flanked by two guards in rust colored power armor. The guards' long rifles panned the room. Fillopav's entry quieted the frantic personnel scurrying about the atrium as they stopped and stood.
Fillopav locked eyes with Taro. He strode across the atrium. He pointed a figure at the four captives. "Is this all of them?" he asked one of his officers.
"Yes Sir."
Fillopav grabbed Taro by the front of his ripped yellow hazmat suit. Taro's toes barely touched the ground as Fillopav held him centimeters from his face. Sweat beaded down the man's bald head.
"Do you realize what you've done?"
Taro tried to speak but the words failed to materialize.
One of Fillopav's officers cut in with an update. "Sir, they've entered the compound. 16th and 24th Brigade are failing to respond to comms, and we keep getting…"
"Silence."
Fillopav returned his attention to Taro. "No matter. You'll not live to see the consequences." Fillopav dropped Taro on his knees and took two steps back. "Kill them."
One of the guards in power armor grabbed Kapoc, the closest captive to him, sliding him along the floor.
"Kay!" Taro stammered.
Kapoc looked at Taro, his head resting against the floor. Kapoc started to speak, "It has been a…" The metallic boot crunched down on the vec's head.
"No!" Taro screamed.
Fatima, writhed on the floor.
The guard pumped his foot up and down smashing Kapoc's head as bits of plastic and computronium splintered. Milky cyber-hydraulic fluid squirting out onto the floor.
Fillopav pointed at Taro. "Him next."
The guard moved towards Taro, knocking him on his back. He raised a leg, then stopped. The raised limb twitched slightly. The whirl of mechanisms could be heard in the suit but it failed to move.
"Enough, finish him," said Fillopav.
The guard failed to move and stood frozen like a statue. A moment later, the guard slowly lowered the foot to the ground in a series of halting motions.
"What are you doing? I said…"
From the floor, Taro could make out the guard's face through the armor's visor. He was yelling, though the sounds were muffled as if his suit's speakers were malfunctioning. He seemed trapped inside, struggling against an unseen possessor.
Fillopav took several steps back. The other security personnel slowly raised their weapons at the guard.
"Marius." Taro muttered.
Kapoc's executioner swung his long black rifle towards the other guard. The room erupted with ear-splitting gunfire. The armored guards unloaded on each other, bullets smashing through the faceplates of both suits. Red gore poured out from the openings. The other guard crumpled to the ground, while the possessed suit staggered around the room, continuing to fire despite the body of its erstwhile driver being reduced to a mere headless passenger.
As the fighting continued, Fillopav darted from the room. The others continued to fire as the suit struggled about like a blood-splattered marionette.
Taro felt a sharp tug on his wrists. Fatima had rolled over to him and has pressing a sliver of metal against his hand ties. Taro sawed his wrists against the makeshift blade, cutting his forearms but after a moment freeing his hands. He ripped the gag off Fatima.
"Get Fillopav!" she screamed over the din.
On his hands and knees, Taro scrambled towards the door as bullets whizzed overhead. He wrenched the pistol from the hand of an officer who lay twitching on the floor coughing up blood. The door closed behind Taro as he bolted down a glass causeway. Below, he could make out intense firing as Martian troops battled each other for control of the building. The message Laura sent about Fillopav must have made it.
The causeway entered a tall cylinder-shaped building. As the door opened, a hand knocked Taro to the floor. Fillopav and Taro wrestled for the gun. Fillopav put his weight behind an elbow in Taro's throat. Taro felt the air squeezing out of him. As one hand struggled against Fillopav's arm the other wildly searched for the weapon. Taro fingers felt the plastic grip. Straining, he clasped it and buried the muzzle in Fillopav's side, firing two shots. Fillopav rolled off Taro with a yell. Taro staggered to his feet, coughing violently as he struggled to catch his breath. Fillopav's uniform grew dark as blood stains spread. He looked as if he was going to say something but Taro did not give him the chance and emptied the remaining three rounds of the clip into his chest.
By the time Taro had limped back to the atrium, a group of RDF militiamen were already evacuating the room. Corpses littered the floor along with the shattered remains of the two power armor suits. Atmosphere was slowly seeping out of the room through bullet holes in the glass. Medics tended to Fatima and Laura, both alive. A militiaman grabbed Taro and pinned him against a pillar.
"Don't hurt 'em. He's with us," a familiar voice said. It was Maza.
Chapter 16
Taro sat up and swung his feet out of bed. Laura lay sleeping beside him. She had been staying over most nights for the past four weeks since the city's liberation from Fillopav. Taro made coffee and stood gazing out the living room window. Perched in a tower on the western slope of the Acropolis, the suite of rooms the government provided him had an excellent view. The sun was just cresting the horizon and a widening sheet of light fell across the crater's western rim. On the airstrip another shuttle landed. No doubt it was full of Earth refugees soon to become citizens. Below, drones and rovers scurried about hauling, repairing, rebuilding. Since the fight at the city admin building, most of their time had been filled with marathon debriefing sessions and Taro regretted not having seen more of the city up close.
His bracelet chirped with an incoming message.
"Yes?" Taro answered.
"Mr. Hashimoto, Mrs. Hashimoto has arrived."
"Right, I'll be down in a minute, thanks."
Dressing quickly, he kissed Laura and rode the elevator down to the lobby.
The lobby was bustling with administrators and security personnel. An attractive auburn-haired woman approached Taro. He recognized her immediately, but she proceeded with a formal introduction.
"Good morning, I'm Kanda Seydoux, public relations coordinator with the Directorate of Information, you'll remember us meeting on Judian."
Taro exchanged pleasantries with Seydoux before she led him into a marble tiled conference room. Seated at the table was Marius's bio-mechanical avatar, clad in his retro copper-colored pinstriped suit. Next to him was a short woman in her late thirties, her hands clasped together. Taro knew from their brief encounter in the virch simulation that the woman was his grandmother Moriko. Recently awakened from cryo-stasis she still had a vaguely sickly look to her like someone recovering from the flu. They stood and Moriko and Taro bowed to each other. Seydoux and her small team sat at the other end of the table, filming the encounter. They conversed, somewhat awkwardly at first, about Moriko's reanimation but then more casually about other topics. Taro had a hard time imagining this woman, only a dozen years or so older than himself, as his grandmother. Eventually Seydoux's team brought up a video call link to Taro's father Shigeru from Watkins station. When Shigeru saw his mother on the screen he began to cry. Moriko, decades younger than her son in appearance, cried as well. No doubt the reunion scene made compelling content for Seydoux, the Martian government's reclamation project successfully reuniting families. The three of them talked for the better part of an hour and over the course of the conversation Moriko agreed to travel to Watkins where she could help take care of the ailing Shigeru.
Marius stood and offered to clear the room so Moriko and Shigeru could talk in private.
As Taro rose to leave, his father called his name. "Taro, thank you son. Thank you."
Out in the hallway, Seydoux and her crew left to prepare for the afternoon's main event, a victory celebration in the city center.
Taro turned to Marius. "Thanks for holding up your end. You've made my dad very happy. But I gotta know something. Uploading that program into the RDF network. You knew we were going to get caught, but that us getting caught was the surest way to flush out Fillopav, didn't you?"
Marius's pale-skinned avatar paused for a moment, pressing his finger tips together. "I believed that was a distinct possibility, yes."
"Well, it cost Kapoc's life," Taro said a little too loudly, drawing looks from others in the hallway.
Marius cleared his throat. "I am sorry about your vec friend Mr. Hashimoto, truly. But I am programmed to care for the citizens of this city beyond all else. Kapoc sacrificed himself to that end and for that I am grateful. I did not intend for it to happen, but yes, I knew it was a risk. We all did, even Kapoc."
Taro sighed, not sure what to say next. He was still processing the loss of Kapoc. The memorial service conducted by the RDF the previous week had done little to ease the hurt. He asked Marius what was next for him now that the city was under Republican control.
"This new government has asked me to continue on as the city's utility and infrastructure manager, there is still much to do."
Later that day, Taro and Laura made their way into the enclosed plaza at the top of the Acropolis. The huge domed space was packed with citizens, civil servants, and military in dress uniforms. Security was tight as the Republic's leader Krisna Nur Nnamdi was in attendance.
"Over here Blondie!" Fatime waved Taro and Laura over to herself and Zupong.
Laura turned to Taro, running a hand over his neatly parted hair, now its natural dark color. "She's going to have to find you a new nickname."
The ceremony commenced with Nnamdi giving a speech denouncing the late treachery of Fillopav and his Pure Mars Bloc. She outlined the bright future that the Republic of Mars would have and how this city would serve as a beachhead in the efforts to reclaim the planet. She claimed that, "Like a red phoenix, Mars will rise from the ashes, a home to all, regardless of clade or creed." At the speech's conclusion, soldiers raised a large Martian tricolor over the plaza. Aircraft buzzed the dome overhead. All this was met with rapturous applause from the audience.
As celebrations filled the plaza, the four fell in with the 303rd for a private award ceremony in a nearby building. Laura had contacted their old battalion when sending out the transmission revealing Fillopav so it was the 303rd that ended up storming the city administration. The room snapped to attention, as Nnamdi entered. She pinned awards on them all, starting with Lieutenant Colonel Nasratullah. Captain Beason and Lieutenant Khanna were each promoted. When Nnamdi reached Taro, she lingered, taking time to talk to him. During his debriefings, Taro was told to keep the fact that he was the one who actually pulled the trigger on Fillopav quiet for security purposes, but it was clear that Nnamdi knew of his involvement.
"And special thanks for your service, young man," Nnamdi said as she pinned the medal on his tunic.
At the reception that followed, they mingled with their old RDF comrades. Fatima thought it was more than a little ironic that they were decorated by the same organization that had so zealously turned them over to Fillopav.
"What are you going to do now?" Taro asked Fatima.
"Don't know yet," Fatima said. "Zu are I are gonna find work here in the city. More room, more opportunity than back on Watkins."
"You gonna stay in the RDF?"
"I've seen enough. It's time we settle down, find something else" Zupong said before ambling over to the bar for a drink.
"So, you and Laura, huh?" Fatima said.
"Yeah, I guess so"
"That's great, T. You're good together."
"And you and Maza?"
"Eh, we'll see. We're keeping it simple for now."
"He's a good guy," said Taro.
"I thought you'd come around."
An hour or so later as they prepared to leave, Seydoux approached Taro alone. "I'd like for us to meet up tomorrow afternoon about your future employment."
"Back on Watkins Station?"
Seydoux smiled and laughed softly. "You could go back if you wanted, but the government thought you might be able to help us with something else, something a little more interesting…"
THE END
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