Tailspin, page 79
“A fire king, a hesacha?” Anada asked.
John nodded. “Get me all the public records you can.”
“What does that mean?” Anada asked.
“If M-Corp doesn’t have something up their sleeve, Artem is fucked.”
“They will, won’t they?” Shay asked eyes darting to each of them.
“I don’t know,” Anada said. “We haven’t even seen the real fire news. What is it like there?”
“They’re really fighting with everything they have,” Janet said. “I’ve never seen such dedication, such teamwork. But they are all in. All of them.”
“Kinda has to be,” John said.
“Is there anything we can do out here?” Shay asked.
Janet thought for a while, “We could, we could get them more help.”
“How do you think we can do that without telling M-Corp you leaked information?”
“There are men and women out here with families and friends. Let’s get them more support. Give me five minutes. I’ll send you some names. People who can pull some strings, even if it’s only civilian workers, more food, supplies.”
Janet hung up, and Shay moved to Anada’s side. Anada wrapped her arm around him. “You okay?”
“I think so,” he said.
Anada ruffled his hair. “Scruff.”
“Take after you,” he bounced back.
“We’re adopting you, so you’d better.”
Shay hadn’t wanted to ask, but he did now he had a chance. “The paperwork going through?”
Anada’s smile lit the room. “Yes,” she said. “We should have confirmation soon. You’ll be ours.”
Janet came back as she had said five minutes later. “Here’s the list of people. Seek them out in person, even if you have to split up, but do it fast.”
Shay and Anada traded glances. Neither of them wanted to part, not with the world out there falling apart.
“No, we’ll do this and stick together,” Shay said. “We will be fast, though. I promise.”
Janet hung up her comms, and Anada moved fast. “Grab your bug out. We’ll do what we can on the road, but it looks like we’re heading toward the Masaow Mountains. Picking up whoever we can on the way.”
Shay had never traveled far, the mountains, near the ocean . . . they were a dream to him.
This is big.
Very big, Shay agreed. You can stay if you wish. I’ll come back.
Where you go, I go. Pim nudged him in the neck, and Shay reached over to scratch his friend’s face, then ears. Pim started with his low rumble, the rumble which always made Shay feel better.
“Let’s go, come on. We can catch a mag train out of here, the full circle almost. We can make a plan better when there.”
They left fast and ran for the mag station. “This is expensive,” Shay said. “I don’t have any more funds.”
“I have a pass. I can use it if I must. Janet’s last resort for us to get out of Artem if things went really south.”
“Get out of Artem?”
Anada frowned. “Yes, leave the city.”
“Do you know what’s out there?”
“We only know for sure what M-Corp feeds us and what Janet has seen as the truth.”
“Specters.”
“They’re some of the creatures most know of the outer lands. There’s far worse than those who couldn’t take their mods.”
“Like what?”
“Diggers and skellies.”
Shay shivered. “I’m not sure I ever want to leave Artem.”
They bundled into the mag station, and Anada paid for their tickets. “You would if it went down badly, so badly there was no hope for survival.”
Pim curled around Shay’s neck, shivering. Is that possible?
I don’t know, Shay said. Artem cannot fall. It’s too strong.
91
The feed before us vanished, but not before the hesacha looked up at us, right at the helo. Then it leaped.
I covered my face, and Malaki jumped.
We sat silently, having no voice to say what we’d just witnessed.
A while later, as her sobs subsided, the radio went off again. All kinds of traffic this time blurted out.
Then Bowdoin came back to me. “Air traffic’s going fucking nuts,” he said. “That ugly fucking beast is badly wounded. They’re trying to get another mage there.”
“Trying?”
The radio sparked, and we listened for a minute as HQ here was trying to find a helo in the air to get to the Masaow Mountains and out to the fire.
They had nothing. There was nothing here. They were all out at the fire, fighting it.
The war to put this beast out of its misery before it could recuperate was over. It would just continue to keep wrecking the area. If it caught out past where it was now…
We watched on the regular news channel as it came into view.
Malaki pointed. “If they lose the quarter, we’ll starve. We won’t make it through the winter. The city will collapse.”
I nodded.
Every helo out there was…fuck, there was nothing.
I saw Malaki staring off into the distance, her mind working. I knew that look. “What is it?”
“Nothing,” she replied. It was a total lie. I knew it.
“They need a helo, right?” I asked, knowing where she was looking.
She nodded at me and stared out of the office window. My train of thought was everywhere. Even if we had our helo, we couldn’t get it in the air without permission.
The sun was coming up in the distance, and in the hangar, I saw it, and I stared at her.
“There’s no way that will fly,” she said. “Right?”
I stood and glanced back at the view on the screen. “We’re closer to the Masaow Mountains than any of them. They can’t get anyone out of the city fast enough.”
She shook her head, looking up at me. Her eyes shone though, and without thinking, I said, “Get us those coordinates. You can pilot. I’ll make sure she gets in the air.”
Her face blanked. “Rus?” she asked.
“Do it,” I said, running for it, the office door slamming behind me. I tapped my HUD and knocked for Bowdoin once more.
“Ruslan, I’ve got ACE all over my ass. Whatever AI I pissed off is just kicking off left and right in the city.”
“I need one more favor.”
“Fuck off.”
“Look, if we want to kill that fucking beast, we’ve got one shot,” I said. Reaching the helo, I looked inside it momentarily, staring at the old-school screens. Buttons. I wasn’t even sure I could lock in with it. “Access my HUD,” I said. “You need to see what I’m seeing.”
“What?”
“Do it,” I ordered him. “I’ll double your money.”
“Triple it.”
Fuck, there went the rest of my money—and Malaki’s, no doubt. “Done.”
Within a second, I knew he was on the inside of my head. “You want to fly this ancient piece of crap? You are nuts,” he said. “Fucking nuts.”
“What does it need?” I asked.
“Fuel, for one. Also, a complete fucking disregard for your own health, but you’ve got that covered.”
“I’ve got it,” came Malaki’s voice as she ran around the helo, connecting pipes and pulling levers. She pointed. “There’s a screen and several silver flick switches to your left. Fire them up; the fuel will load. When it lights green, flick the third one closest to it up. Then shout at me.”
“Okay,” I said.
“You’ll need access to the command codes and their network,” Bowdoin said. “You’ll owe me a favor for this. Big fucking time.”
“I can get you some codes,” Malaki said.
“Where from?” I asked. Then regretted it.
“You know where. We can’t do this without some backing.”
“Some backing?”
“We don’t have time to go through regular channels. This is on him and us, and…you’re right.”
“Fuck.” She was going to her dad. I heard her.
“Tally4, Dizzy101. Requesting launch authorization codes for the 718 in hangar 421.”
Silence. I watched her pace, and watched the fuel filling the helo.
“Father, if we don’t do this…” Malaki glanced at me but flicked her head to my dials. They were green. I turned the pumps off and she disconnected the fuel line.
“We won’t let you down,” she said. Then even quieter as she hopped up into the helo. “Thanks, Dad.”
It was the first time I heard her use Dad; it also meant the most to her. I followed her into the helo.
“You can lock in, right?” she asked me and fastened herself in.
“I will,” I said, lifting my shirt and exposing my tap and nodes.
“That’s going to hurt,” Bowdoin said through to us both. “You know that.”
“Nothing I ever do doesn’t hurt,” I replied. “This is the first-ever prototype DP unit out there.”
“The helo’s system is coming online now. She got the codes?”
“Mal?” I asked. “Codes?”
A moment later and Bowdoin was chuckling to himself. “You are free to engage whenever you’re ready.”
The little screen before me, a moment later, flashed green. “I’m good to go, Mal,” I yelled at her.
I could only hear what she was doing on the outside. Then I saw the double doors before us open. The sunlight streamed in.
One second later, she sat beside me, her eyes locked with mine. “No going back now,” she said.
“No.” I sat back in the DP’s seat. My nodes connected easily to the helo’s internal system. The connection sputtered and spat at me. It was super sluggish like moving through thick fog. I couldn’t go fast at all. “I’ve got it from here,” I said to Bowdoin.
“You’re sure?” he asked.
“I’m sure. Disconnect and get the fuck out of wherever you are. They will come looking.”
“They won’t track you. No fucking kidding. I’ll be in touch.”
I felt him disconnect, and I saw what I was dealing with. “Only two drones,” I said to Malaki as she fired up the rotors. “They’re not very responsive, but they’re awake.”
“It’s more than I thought you’d have.” All the lights on the dash lit and the chassis beneath us rattled to life. “Think this is really going in the air?”
“Better believe it is,” I said. She threw me the coordinates we needed. “Got it. We’ll be there and back before they’re even halfway there.”
“How are you going to contact him?”
“Drone,” I said. “We use the net. He’ll never go for it.”
“All green,” she said, hands on the cyclic, nice and steady.
“All green,” I reiterated. “Take us out.”
The helo tracks started to move with much protesting. It had never seen the sun in years, I’d bet. Its slow rotors wouldn’t speed up till she was clear of the hangar. Then it was a hope and prayer.
The sun blinded us as we drew outside. “There’s nothing in the air,” she said. “I’m not clearing anything.”
“I know.”
“How does it feel?” she asked as the engine started pushing underneath us. The blades spun up to max RPM for takeoff.
I felt like my insides were going to be shaken to bits. But there was surprisingly no pain. The nodes of mine were locked in tight. Everything on my side really was green. I wasn’t lying to her; she was so used to it that I didn’t think she could tell the difference. “I really am all green,” I said. “Take her up.”
Malaki pulled the collective up, and we were in the air within seconds. She pushed forward, and I felt the exhilaration I usually did as we blasted ahead toward our mission goal.
“ETA, seven minutes,” she said.
I could only just hear her over the engine. I tapped the side of my head, and she connected to my HUD.
“Better?”
“If I can hear you, yes.”
It wasn’t a minute into the flight, and I heard something clicking in front of me.
“FC?” she said. “They’ll have picked us up. They’d never not.”
“Fuck,” I said and moved to answer it. No, I couldn’t. I had to look internally. “Connect me to the helo comms.”
“Think I’d really leave you alone?” came Bowdoin’s voice. “If you die, I’m never getting that favor.”
I laughed. “Get me connected to them.”
“One second, and you’re in. They’re not happy.”
“Didn’t think they would be,” I replied and glanced at Malaki. “Even with your codes.”
“I’ve given you some more cover,” he said. “You’re a captain, just fucking act like one.”
“What?”
“Captain Ling,” he said. “Call sign Razor. FC is Timothy Draven, call sign Stinky. Got it?”
“Got it,” I replied. Then I added, “Thanks Bow.”
He laughed. “At least this made a very shitty fucking day entertaining.”
He really clicked off this time, and I heard the chatter from FC come over my HUD.
“Stinky, this is Razor. Confirming our orders, and we’re inbound to location zero-seven-nine-forty-one, ETA five minutes.”
“Razor?” Stinky’s voice came back, and it held that question. If he knew Razor, he knew I wasn’t him. “We had no idea you were out here, thank fuck.”
His response wasn’t something I was prepared for. I mean, I didn’t really know what to expect, but it wasn’t that. “You know me,” I said. “Sneaky fucker.”
“What are you in?”
“The 718,” I said.
“No fucking way, that old thing? Didn’t think that would ever get off the ground again.”
“Never underestimate the old birds. They’ve pulled many people through shit.”
“Damn right,” Stinky said. “Okay, putting in your trajectory now. Can’t even see you on the harmonics.”
Malaki glanced at me and shook her head. I didn’t know what to say to that. “Don’t worry about that, we’re here.” She added, “You can probably track our fuel leak, though.”
“Fuel leak, shit. Tracking you in now. Skies are clear.”
Malaki held her hand up to me, three fingers. “Stinky, three minutes.”
“This mage doesn’t even know you’re incoming,” Stinky said. “FC can’t get him back on the radio.”
“I got it.”
It wasn’t long before Malaki held two fingers up.
“I’ll get the drones ready,” I said to Malaki.
I looked inside then and felt the drones. Their little minds responded to mine briefly, and I felt them power up.
The door, though, I struggled with. It took another set of codes. I got it, and I got them open just in time. Malaki held up her last finger.
Then I was in the air. Their tiny engines were nowhere near as powerful as what I was used to, but I knew they’d do what I needed, and I had to drop down and see the mage before we got closer. We would have seconds to come in, land, and get him on board.
“We have no room to drop RPM,” Malaki said.
“I know.” There were no heaters on these old birds.
My view dropped, the skies whizzed past, and I could see the mountain under me. I zoomed in and spotted the mage’s camp. He wasn’t anywhere to see.
“Anything?” she asked.
“Nothing,” I replied. “Fuck.”
Then I saw movement in the corner of my eye. There was someone on the mountainside. I flipped the drone, and, to my surprise, it responded perfectly. There was no juddering or shaking, unlike everything I tried to pilot at the academy.
Within a second, I was hovering in front of the biggest man I’d seen in my life. He was wrapped up in bundles of fur and clothes, and though he stared at the drone, I couldn’t see him.
“Captain…” Fuck, I’d forgotten my name. “Screw it. Rusty here,” I said. “Incoming helo in thirty seconds. Follow me and be ready to run for it. We’ve seconds on the deck. It’s a drop and run.”
He didn’t speak, he just nodded, and as I turned and fled, he followed.
My mind screamed at me. The shaking from the surrounding helo glitched, and two of my nodes popped out.
I felt Malaki reach for me, shoving my physical body back into the seat. Now I felt pain and let out my curses with pure vitriol.
“Razor, you okay?” Stinky’s voice came over comms.
“No,” I spat out at him.
“What…you’re not…you’re not Razor?!”
“I’m not, and you knew I wasn’t,” I said with all honesty.
“I hoped,” he said. “You have command codes, but…who are you?”
“What I am is a DP in a helo about to pick up your mage.”
“You really are in the 718, though?”
“Straight out of the museum,” I admitted.
“Pilot?”
“Best in the academy,” I said, and I smiled. Because she fucking was.
“Only one I know on OOF that could fly that.”
“First Airman Canlas,” she said.
“Holy shit, so that’s why you had command codes, the general?”
“Yes, my father. We can do this, Stinky.”
“I hope so.”
The natural ground came in at me, and I could see us from both angles. I swallowed. “She is the best pilot. She has to be. We are dropping in now.”
“What’s yo—ur na—me,” he stammered out.
“Rusty,” I said. Then I could only concentrate on our jobs.
The helo turned, hovered in, and deftly landed before us. The mage had the doors open, and he was inside in mere seconds. The cold blast of air ripped through the cab and stung my face. My body shivered, and I almost lost the drones.
“Get them back on board,” Malaki screamed at me.
Malaki pulled up, but she struggled.
We weren’t going to get back in the air.
“I’ve got this,” the mage’s low, deep voice said. I looked behind me to where he sat on the floor of our helo, in the middle of everything that had fallen or shaken out the back. He put his hand to the metal surface, and instantly, it was red.
The heat from him spread out fast, and Malaki gave it one more shot. We were back in the air.
My drones, though. The cold was harsh on them, too. But I managed to get one back inside, the other…no, it was failing fast. I cut ties and let it drop. That sting, it was nothing like the modern drones. It fucking hurt.
