Aetherial Annihilation, page 22
"Not too tight," Elyssa said. She inspected the top. "It's not all the way down."
I eased the vice tighter until Elyssa told me to stop.
"Good enough." She backed up. "Do your magic, hot stuff."
I kissed her on the cheek. "As you wish." I summoned spheres of Murk and Brilliance in either hand, then wove them into a ball of Stasis. I channeled a gray beam into the crucible and it began to fill with fog. "How much can this thing hold?" I asked.
"I have no idea." Elyssa backed up a few steps.
I gave her an alarmed look. "Will it shatter if it gets too full?"
She shrugged and backed up again.
Discerning the correct amount of Stasis was something I hadn't considered. It typically took me a solid minute or two of channeling to disable a crystoid, so I counted the seconds and let the Stasis flow. When I reached the two-minute mark, I breathed a sigh of relief and released the weave. "I hope that's enough."
Elyssa pointed to the lever on the side of the machine. "Don't forget to seal it."
I spun the handle on the side and the sealer hummed.
"Keep spinning it until it crackles," Elyssa said.
I did as instructed. A few seconds later, magical energy arced across the surface of the glass sphere, crackling like electricity. I stopped rotating the handle and the crucible emitted a dim glow.
I stepped back and admired my handiwork. "Looking good."
Elyssa stepped to my side. "Now we have to test it."
I pumped a fist. "Colombia, here we come."
After carefully loosening the vice, I lifted the sphere and noted it felt only slightly heavier than before. Even so, it was cumbersome to walk with such a large glass ball in my arms.
Elyssa snorted as I waddled toward her. "We have levitator carts for those things." She walked behind the sealing machine and returned, pulling the handle of a floating platform with four pads lined up in a row on top.
I placed the crucible on it. One might not be enough. "I'm going to fill four crucibles just in case."
She nodded. "Yeah, good idea."
About a half hour later, I breathed a sigh of relief and loaded the cart with the fourth and final crucible. The process had drained me, but hopefully it would be worth it.
I towed the cart out of the armory. At Elyssa's suggestion, we rode the levitator at the end of the corridor all the way up to the underground parking garage and tucked the cart with the Stasis crucibles in a corner.
Practically the whole gang except for Nightliss was waiting for us when we reached the conference room.
Shelton went for a high-five when he saw me, and I didn't leave him hanging. "You ready to kick some ass?"
I slapped his hand. "You know it."
A hopeful gleam shone in Mom's eyes. "If this works, it could be the turning point."
"It's got to work," I said. "We just need a way to land them to the crystoids."
"Do you need me to fill some crucibles?" Ivy asked.
"Not yet," I told her. "First, we need to test them."
Thomas appeared in the doorway and motioned me into the hall.
"What did you find out?" I asked.
"I spoke with Victus," he said. "Before I could talk to him about our new idea, he told me that he'd heard about Frankenberg's betrayal, and had assembled a small army of battle bots to assist us."
I felt my eyebrows rise. "Interesting."
"I invited him here so we could discuss logistics." Thomas's phone beeped and he checked it. "In fact, he just arrived in the hangar."
"What do you want me to do?" I asked.
"I'll speak to him about specifics and make it very clear he's not to tell anyone, not even his wife, about our plans."
"Let's hope he agrees to it."
Thomas nodded his head toward the levitator at the end of the corridor. "I'll go meet him and join the rest of you after our discussion." He turned and left without another word.
Shelton was arguing with Adam when I entered the room. "Are you kidding me? Rocket sticks would be perfect."
"You can't guide the stupid things," Adam said. "Plus, how in the world would you secure a big honking crucible to the stick?"
"Duct tape." Shelton circled his arm through the air as if taping a crucible to a rocket stick.
"Doesn't Science Academy have guided rockets?" I asked.
"Yeah," Adam said. "But even if you could strap a crucible to them, their aerodynamic profile would be so far off, the missile would probably fly in loops or crash."
"There must be some way to guide the crucibles to the crystoids." I ran a hand through my hair. "What about strapping a crucible to the back of a robot and command it to fly a rocket stick into the crater?"
"Sure, that could work," Shelton said.
Adam nodded. "It'd work, but robots are expensive and time-consuming to build. I doubt we'd have enough to spare."
"Man, you guys really know how to spoil the mood." I puffed out a breath. "And here I thought we had the answer."
"We do have the answer," Adam said. "It's just not going to be as easy to use it as we'd hoped."
Thomas marched past us and to the front of the room with Victus Edison behind him. The conversations faded.
"As I'm sure you're all aware, we've had some recent developments that may speed the conclusion of the crystoid incident," Thomas said. "Victus also has something he'd like to share."
"Thank you, Commander Borathen." Victus's lips curved into a politician's smile. "Science Academy wholeheartedly condemns the actions of former Chancellor Frankenberg. We don't know if he's a key player in the crystoid incident, or simply an opportunist, but we will do whatever possible to bring him to justice."
"Sounds like a stump speech," Shelton murmured.
"To that end, we're donating twenty-five new battle-bots to help combat Frankenberg's troops." He paused as if waiting for applause, but Ivy was the only one who clapped.
"Oh, I love robots!" she exclaimed. "Do they make beep-beep boop-boop noises, or can they talk?"
Victus's smile faded. "Uh, these talk." He cleared his throat and continued. "Commander Borathen also asked if we could provide a reliable delivery method for crucibles."
"Rocket sticks and duct tape," Shelton said.
Adam face-palmed.
Victus nodded as if it were an idea worthy of consideration. "I thought about rockets or missiles, but the size of the crucibles would be a hindrance to navigation."
"What about flying robots?" Ivy said.
"The current generation of flying robots suffers from too many deficiencies to do the job," he replied. "Robots are also not very good at flying rocket sticks or that might also be a consideration."
Shelton frowned. "Dash all our hopes and dreams, why don't ya?"
Victus frowned. "The situation might seem rather hopeless." His frown turned upside down. "Fortunately, we do have a solution."
"Of course he does," Adam muttered.
"Delivery drones." Victus's statement didn't exactly arouse a big cheer, primarily because we were trading confused looks.
"You mean like those remote-controlled planes the noms use?" Elyssa said.
He shook his head. "No. It's better if I show you." Victus took out an arcphone, set it on the table, and projected a video from it. "This is a promotional video, so please excuse any hyperbole."
A somber voice spoke. "Getting a time-sensitive package to a recipient is a challenge." The video showed a frustrated man trying to fly a rocket stick with a big box under one arm, and crashing into the water. "Until now, you've always had to rely on others to do it for you." The image switched to a kid tossing a package onto someone's doorstep and the sound of glass shattering inside.
The voice grew excited. "Now there's an easier way. Introducing the UFO Three-K personal delivery drone." The image switched to show a flying saucer the size of a dinner plate lifting a large box off the ground and carrying it from a man with a huge grin on his face, to a woman who squealed with joy as she pulled fragile glass statues from the delivered box.
Victus paused the video. "I think you get the idea."
"Yeah, I get the idea," Shelton said. "That thing will get shot out of the sky faster than a buck-toothed fairy on a flying corncob."
"Uh…" Victus gave him an uncertain look. "We can fit the drones with camouflage. If we only activate the camouflage during the crucial transition through enemy forces, the battery should last long enough to see it safely to the ground."
Adam raised a hand. "The crucible actually needs to smash on the ground to be effective."
"We can program the drones for a low altitude airdrop." Victus forwarded the video to show one of the flying saucers drop a box with a parachute attached. "Instead of putting a parachute on the package, we allow it to freefall."
"How soon can we get these drones?" Elyssa asked.
Victus splayed his hands. "Right now if you want."
"I'll go with him," Shelton said.
Adam waved a hand. "Me too."
"Can I have a flying saucer?" Ivy asked Mom.
Mom rubbed her shoulder. "Maybe after the war, darling."
Ivy sagged. "Aw, but I want one now."
"You can fill crucibles for the flying saucers," I told her.
She brightened. "Sure. Where do we go?"
"I'll take you." I turned to Elyssa. "We'll be in the armory."
"Sounds good." She motioned toward the holographic map. "I'll be up here discussing logistics. If the test in Colombia goes well, we could launch dozens of attacks at once."
Victus stopped in front of me on his way out the door. "Let us hope this will be the blow that brings us peace."
Well, it'll give you something to brag about on the campaign trail. I planted a smile on my face. "If it works, it'll bring us a step closer to victory."
He nodded. "I suppose the next logical step would be invading Seraphina."
"Maybe." I didn't want to give him anything else for the campaign trail.
"I'm certain Science Academy will donate more battle-bots to the cause." He leaned closer and whispered, "Unfortunately, right after the war, hundreds of our top of the line units went missing from our warehouse. It appears Frankenberg must have absconded with them while everyone was busy celebrating."
"Just what we need," I said. "A well-armed madman on the loose."
"Hey, we're burning daylight," Shelton said. "We need to get those drones."
Victus stiffened and his jaw went tight. He obviously didn't like anyone telling him what to do. He quickly recovered with an affable smile. "Of course. Let's go."
"What about Nightliss?" Ivy asked.
"Blessing Templar recruits has tired her," Thomas said. "She's resting."
I turned to Ivy and Mom. "Let's go charge some crucibles."
We were about to turn this battle around.
Chapter 24
Ivy sagged after charging her sixth crucible.
"I think you might have overcharged that first one," I told her, looking uneasily at the webbed cracks in the glass. I hadn't paid close enough attention to the time she took to fill it.
"Can we get more ice cream now?" Ivy asked, a hopeful gleam in her eyes. "I'm so hungry."
"Let's get some real food after I'm done," Mom said. She looked at me with a radiant smile. "I hear you two had a good time going out together."
I grinned back. "It was a blast."
Ivy let out a long sigh. "Ice cream would be tops right now."
I kissed her forehead. "Maybe later."
Mom pulled back the sleeves on her dress. "I suppose it's my turn."
I placed a crucible on the sealer and reset the timer on my arcphone. "Ready when you are."
She took a deep breath and channeled. By the time she was done, we had four more crucibles ready to go.
I loaded the last globe on a levitation cart. "That's fourteen including mine," I said. "Good start."
We each grabbed the handle of a cart and loaded them onto the levitator. Only two fit in at a time, so I took them up to the garage and parked them next to the ones I'd filled, then returned and brought up the last one. I met everyone in the conference room where Victus demonstrated one of the drones.
He held up a shiny chrome disc shaped like a flying saucer from a vintage movie. It measured perhaps three feet in diameter and four inches thick at the base with a curved hump in the middle complete with little lighted windows. "The UFO delivery drone can be programmed or controlled remotely from an app on your arcphone or arctablet devices." He held up a tablet and touched an icon shaped like the drone. When the program started, he demonstrated how to use a map to assign coordinates where the drone would automatically travel.
"Simply zoom into the map and touch the precise location or put in an address." Victus switched to another screen with a first-person view from the camera on the drone. "Alternatively, you can fly the drone using these simple controls."
"Looks easy enough," Adam said. "How will the drones carry crucibles?"
Victus flicked the controls on the screen and the drone lifted off. A small hook extended from the bottom. "You'll need to harness the crucibles in some sort of net so the hook has something to hold onto."
Shelton grunted. "I expected something fancier."
Victus stiffened. "Sometimes, simpler is better."
"What about the camouflage?" Elyssa asked.
"Simply affix this module"—he held up a thin coin-sized device—"to the side of the drone. It holds about a three minute charge, so you won't want to activate it until absolutely necessary."
Adam took the camouflage module and turned it over in his fingers. "Remotely activated, I hope?"
"Yes, yes," Victus replied, a note of impatience in his voice. He cleared his throat and was once again Mr. Friendly. "Once the package is in the desired position, press the release icon." He landed the drone back on the table and deactivated it.
"Let's test it," I said. I motioned toward the drone on the table. "May I?"
Victus was all smiles again. "Of course, Justin." He affixed the camouflage module to the underside of the saucer. "First, you'll need to download the app and register it with the drone."
"Already done." I'd followed along when he'd registered the drone on his phone, even though he hadn't given us a step-by-step tutorial.
"Oh, excellent." He pocketed his phone. "I'm ready when you are."
I turned to Thomas. "Is everything set?"
He nodded. "The ASE we sent to scout for the correct portal to Colombia returned with the information."
"Use my cracked crucible first," Ivy said. "I want to see what happens."
"Cracked one?" Shelton gave Ivy a troubled look. "How did it get cracked?"
"I accidentally channeled too much Stasis inside." She giggled. "I'll bet it's gonna look neato when it hits the ground."
"Uh, yeah." Shelton shook his head. "Man, I didn't even know it was possible to fill a crucible so full you cracked it."
Adam nudged me in the ribs and spoke in a low voice. "Your sister is kinda scary powerful."
"Thanks, Adam!" Ivy blushed. "That's so sweet."
I snorted. "Let's go." I tucked the UFO drone under an arm and headed toward the levitator while the crowd followed behind.
Victus kept pace with me, but seemed content to remain silent. I didn't really feel like engaging him in small talk, so I kept quiet and thought about the mission. We packed into the levitator and rode it up to the garage.
Ivy clasped her hands as if in prayer. "The cracked one, Justin, please."
I handed Shelton the drone. "Hold onto that one for me, please."
He took it and looked warily at the damaged crucible on the cart. "That thing makes me a little nervous."
"Yeah, well Stasis doesn't usually kill—it just freezes things for a while." I shrugged. "At least that's the theory."
He shuddered. "Just make sure you don't drop it."
I chuckled and grabbed the cart handle. "I'll be extra careful."
Elyssa spoke with the Templar in charge of scheduling portals, and requested one for the Grotto control room, then she and her father each grabbed the handle of the remaining two carts and pulled them up to the yellow line around the portal zone. Another Templar jogged over and handed Thomas several black nets to harness the crucibles.
A portal opened a few minutes later, and we stepped through it to the Grotto control room. After everyone filed through, I closed the portal and turned to Elyssa.
"Do you have the image for the ocean portal?" I asked.
"Yep." She stepped into the silver ring around the omniarch, sealed it, and concentrated on the image on her phone. The air within the arch split open a moment later to reveal a massive maelstrom roaring about twenty feet below. Despite how often I'd used portals, it was still strange to be looking straight ahead at something that was technically below me. If I stepped through the gateway, I'd plummet into the foaming salt water.
A shiver ran through my back.
Elyssa touched my arm. "You okay?"
I nodded. "Yeah. Just looking at that thing reminds me of Thailand."
"Gives me the chills," Elyssa said. "Just don't think of going for a swim."
"I didn't bring my water wings." I turned around and took the drone from Shelton, setting it on the floor in front of the portal.
"One cracked crucible coming right up," Adam said, as he helped Thomas secure the glass sphere with one of the nets.
A bead of sweat trickled down Shelton's face as he watched them outfit the Stasis bomb.
"Whoops!" Adam shouted.
Shelton leapt back and nearly tripped over his own feet. He scowled. "Not funny, man."
Ivy giggle-snorted. "That was hilarious."
Adam chuckled. "Go clean your pants, Shelton."
I flicked to the drone app on my phone and levitated the UFO off the floor using the remote controls. Thomas and Adam lifted the cracked crucible by the net harness and brought it over to me. I flew the drone over the net, lowered the grappling hook, and latched on.
Shelton recovered some of his dignity and walked closer. "Man, I feel like a straight up alien invader."
"Aliens versus robots," Adam added. "This would make a great movie."
