Impulse, page 17
part #12 of First Colony Series
“Each of these consoles has its own dedicated data connection,” Noah said. “I bet the computing core isn’t far from here.”
“Reminds me of the archives at Sanctuary, but this setup is more advanced,” Lenora said.
The consoles all had a holographic interface, and after a few minutes of accessing the data repositories, they confirmed that the bunker had been home to the Bhatdin.
“There are historical logs that go back hundreds of years,” Lenora said. “The earliest entries read as if they knew they’d come on a one-way trip.”
Connor stood next to her, reading the same logs. “It doesn’t say where they came from. They didn’t build a gateway here.”
“That could have been due to a lack of resources, but they brought enough to set up this place and study the Ovarrow. I wonder how many years they were here before they left,” Lenora said.
Noah laughed. “They may not have built any gateways, but they have data on them. There are also theoretical principles on how they work. We’ll need some time to review it to see if there’s anything we don’t already know. Is it all right if I start the data extraction?”
Connor looked at Lenora and she nodded. “Go ahead.”
The consoles were capable of hosting multiple holoscreens for systems access, and he read the earliest entries.
Diaz walked over to him. “Find anything useful?”
Connor nodded. “They were fighting the Krake and had to flee their own world. They sent multiple teams to different universes in an attempt to win the war.”
Diaz frowned for a moment. “It didn’t work. They were defeated.”
Connor considered it for a few moments. “There are survivors. The Mekaal and Konus are here because of what they did, and we definitely benefited from what they were doing. I’m not sure we could have defeated the Krake if not for what was left behind.”
It soon became apparent that it was going to take some time to finish exploring the bunker. Connor left Lenora, Noah, and Kara in the command center, and the rest of their team came with him.
Diaz gave him a sidelong look. “Is this the fun part?”
Connor snorted. “You bet.”
“At least it’s not falling apart,” Diaz said.
At that moment, Connor felt the floor vibrate under his feet. The vibrations were small, but unmistakable. He stared at his friend. “You just had to say it.”
16
In their final weeks at the colonial embassy in Shetrian, Isaac and the rest of the interns had begun using some of their downtime on the sectioned-off part of the embassy’s rooftop. Some of the areas functioned as landing pads while others held communications equipment, but there were still places for them to gather. Rooftop gardens, along with several seating areas, provided a nice respite for people who worked at the embassy.
“Restricted travel is finally lifting,” Julian said.
A Konus diplomatic envoy had arrived a few days ago, looking to improve their relationship with the Mekaal in an effort to try to put the past behind them. There was plenty of mistrust where the Konus were concerned, and Isaac wasn’t immune to it.
“I’m ready to go home,” Jordan said, and Kanin agreed with a vigorous nod.
Curtis and Ella came through the doors to the rooftop and walked over to them. Curtis had likely been trying to make his latest play for Ella’s attentions, and by the looks of it, those attentions had been refused. The edges of Isaacs lips quirked at that.
Ella had been drilling him mercilessly on key concepts for his placement test. Isaac had to admit that her methods, while relentless and frustrating at times, had helped him. The answers came quickly, and he was able to break down the questions much better than when he’d been studying on his own.
Isaac looked away, pretending not to notice Ella as she came over to them. “Please, no more.”
Ella grinned. “You’re ready. It’s better to be well-rested anyway.”
Isaac twitched an eyebrow at her and chuckled. “Thanks. I have nightmares about test questions hunting me down.”
Julian looked at him and frowned. “How would that work? Are they beating you over the head, or is it something else?”
Isaac shook his head. “No, it’s a phalanx of holoscreens chasing me, and there are these shock-sticks zapping me while Ella threatens to add more study time for each question I miss,” he said, shivering as if a chill had gone down his spine. “It was terrifying. Don’t let her sweet and innocent exterior fool you. She’s a harsh taskmaster.”
“Oh, stop it,” Ella admonished. “I wasn’t that bad.”
Isaac grinned and most of the others smiled except Curtis, who ignored the whole exchange.
“Do you think you’re ready for the test?” Julian asked.
Isaac had done everything he could to prepare for that damn test, but he had no idea if he was ready. “We’ll find out in a few days.”
“It’s two days,” Ella reminded him.
He’d planned to wait and take the placement test in Sanctuary, but Dr. Rostova informed him he could take the test here at the embassy. After that, it wouldn’t take long to find out if he’d been accepted into Sierra’s medical program. Both Curtis and Ella were already in the program and would be going to Sierra right from here.
Julian looked at Jordan. “Did you tell your family yet?”
“Not yet.”
“Tell them what?” Ella asked.
“We’re staying at Sanctuary. We got our recommendations this morning,” Jordan replied.
At least he wouldn’t be completely alone when they returned to Sanctuary. He had no idea what he was going to do if things didn’t work out at Sierra.
“Did you tell your parents, Isaac?” Ella asked.
Isaac shook his head. “No.”
Ella frowned. “Not even your mother?”
He’d only exchanged a few messages with his mother since he’d left. Those exchanges had been strained, at best, and they’d avoided topics like his father. She was probably waiting for him to bring it up, and he didn’t want to.
“I will,” Isaac said.
Julian knew that Isaac hadn’t left Sanctuary on the best of terms with his parents and quickly changed the subject.
“You know what?” Julian said. “I think I’m going to miss this place a little.”
“Not me,” Curtis said. “I’m ready to be around more people for a change.”
“It’s time,” Ella agreed, and Curtis raised his eyebrows in surprise.
“Yeah?”
Ella nodded. “Can’t stay here forever, can we?”
The others voiced their assent, but Isaac didn’t. He didn’t want his time with Ella to end, especially if she went to Sierra without him. She looked at him and smiled.
An audible chime sounded from all their wrist computers at the same time.
Julian stood up. “We’ve been summoned!”
The others stood and started heading toward the rooftop exit. Isaac lingered behind, and Ella gave him a questioning look.
“What are you thinking about? Are you worried about the test?” she asked.
Isaac shook his head. “No, I’m actually not thinking about the test.”
Ella nodded and waited for him to continue.
“I’ve gotten used to all this,” he said, gesturing to their surroundings.
“I know what you mean.” She looked away from him toward the cityscape and sighed.
“Do you?”
She turned back toward him.
“I’m going to miss you, too,” Isaac said.
He thought about adding the others into that statement but decided to be straight with her. He stepped closer to her, and when she looked up at him, he leaned toward her until they were just inches apart.
“Isaac,” she said softly.
Heat filled his chest and he reached for one of her hands. She let him.
“You guys coming?” Curtis asked loudly from the doorway.
Isaac didn’t turn toward them. They probably had an audience, but he wasn’t going to let Curtis or anyone else take this moment away from him.
“Ella, there’s something here between us that’s worth exploring.”
She gazed up at him and her mouth opened a little. He thought about kissing her, just lay it all on the line. He wanted to, and he thought she wanted to as well, but he didn’t want to rush her.
Another chime came from their wrist computers. Ella looked down at hers and acknowledged the alert.
“We have to go,” she said almost regretfully and gave his hand a gentle squeeze before she let it go.
They walked toward the others who waited for them in the elevator nearby. Everyone was looking at them, trying to figure out what had happened. Isaac started to feel foolish but dismissed those thoughts immediately. He’d wanted to tell her for a while, but there hadn’t been the right time. If he kept waiting for the ‘right’ time, then he might never get the chance.
The elevator doors closed with Ella standing next to him. She looked up, watching the floor count go down. Julian made some comment and Jordan seized the opportunity to start a conversation.
Isaac glanced at Ella and leaned toward her a little. “Awkward,” he said softly.
She snorted a little and her lips quivered. Luminous dark eyes twinkled as she regarded him for a moment with a knowing look. Then the elevator doors opened. She hadn’t given him that sympathetic, forever-friend-zone look that women gave as a way to soften rejection. That was something.
They walked through a crowded atrium and Dr. Rostova waved them over.
“Good, you’re all here,” she said.
Deasira joined them. “Exciting news. Thanks in no small part to your hard work, our presence has been requested to present our findings to the High Commissioner. This is a great honor, and you should be proud of what we’ve achieved.”
Dr. Solomon and Dr. Townsend stood nearby.
“Will they announce our findings to your people?” Dr. Solomon asked.
“Soon. This is the first step,” Deasira replied.
“This requires all of us to attend?” Dr. Townsend asked.
“Of course. The entire team was invited,” Deasira replied.
Dr. Townsend frowned and glanced at Isaac and the others. The uptight bastard didn’t want to share the limelight with lowly interns.
“It’s only fair, Gerry,” Dr. Rostova said. “This was a team effort.”
Dr. Townsend sighed. “Very well.”
They walked outside where a long line of black-colored rovers was waiting. Isaac’s eyes widened. Not just them, but a full colonial diplomatic envoy would be traveling to the Mekaal capitol building. CDF soldiers were stationed near each of the rovers.
Isaac and the others were guided toward the rovers at the end of the procession. He hadn’t expected that this was to be so formal an event. These were the larger N-Class rovers, which had enough seating capacity to accommodate half the team. They walked toward the last rover, and a CDF soldier waved to them.
“Good afternoon, I’m Corporal Reznick, and I’ll be with you for the short drive to the Mekaal capitol building. You can go on and get inside. We’ll be underway shortly.”
Isaac walked toward the nearest door and climbed inside, sliding across the bench seat to the other side. Julian climbed in next to him and Jordan followed.
Julian arched an eyebrow toward him. “Expecting someone else?”
“Just hoping,” Isaac replied in kind.
Julian laughed.
Isaac glanced behind and saw that Ella was sitting at the very back with Kanin. They were speaking to each other. Curtis climbed into the middle row with the equipment for the presentation. He gave Isaac a smoldering glare and then looked away.
Isaac turned back around and looked out the window. He thought he’d seen Agent Franklin somewhere close by, but he couldn’t find him now. The CIB agent could vanish with the best of them. Over the months, it had become a bit of a competition with them to see if Isaac could spot him.
Julian leaned toward him. “What happened up there?”
Isaac scratched the side of his head. “I told her.”
“What did she say?”
Isaac inhaled deeply. “Nothing.”
He’d hoped that Ella would sit next to him, but she hadn’t. He tried not to read too much into it.
Jordan looked at them and frowned. “Who?”
Julian twitched his head toward the back and whispered, “Ella.”
Jordan nodded and smiled. “It’s about time. Cutting it kinda close there, weren’t you?”
Isaac shook his head. “Did you guys have a betting pool going or something?”
“Oh man, I should have thought of that,” Julian said.
Reznick climbed inside and put the rover into gear. Not long after, the colonial diplomatic motorcade left the embassy and began heading toward the Capitol.
Julian and Jordan chatted, and Isaac just looked out the window at the line of rovers in front of them. The scientists were in the rover ahead of them. They appeared to be speaking to each other, and he wondered what they were talking about. Did they talk about anything other than work? The entire time he’d been here, he hadn’t seen Dr. Townsend loosen up once. Dr. Solomon was more laid back, and Dr. Rostova was almost like a normal person. Her work was important to her, but she hadn’t forgotten how to be human, unlike the wooden board that was Dr. Townsend. A little resentment had built up over the months since Townsend had fired him as his intern, and things had settled into a general dislike between them. Isaac was long past trying to figure out why Townsend didn’t like him and had decided to return the irritation in kind. He wasn’t disrespectful toward the geneticist, but he didn’t go out of his way to be helpful like he did for the other scientists.
Many Mekaal gathered on the side of the street to watch the procession drive by, and Isaac wondered what they thought about all this. Most Mekaal he’d met were friendly toward the colonists, but not all of them. Some kept their distance. Sometimes it was difficult for him to judge what the Mekaal or any Ovarrow was thinking. They weren’t quite as alien to him as they had been six months prior, but they were by no means an open book.
He was looking out the window at a Mekaal who stared back at him, when a sudden loud boom made him duck instinctively. The ground shook and a large plume of orange blazed behind them. Isaac twisted in his seat and his mouth hung agape. The explosion had been so close to them.
“Was that the embassy?” Julian asked. “I think that was the embassy.”
Reznick stopped the rover and stepped outside. “Stay in the rover.”
Another explosion came from their left. Reznick scrambled back into the rover and slammed the door shut.
“Hang on! We’re getting out of here!”
17
As Reznick stomped on the accelerator and the rover jerked forward, Isaac was thrown back into his seat. The convoy turned off the main thoroughfare. Mekaal ran down the streets, and some took cover in the buildings. The convoy blew past a side street that led back toward the colonial embassy, which was blocked by a disabled vehicle that was on fire.
Isaac tried to peer down the side street to catch a glimpse of the embassy, but they were going too fast. The rover tilted to the side as Reznick drove around some kind of makeshift barricade.
“Colonial Embassy,” Reznick said, “this is Rover 5. All occupants are accounted for. Following the rest of the convoy.”
Isaac couldn’t hear who the CDF soldier was speaking to. It must be a status check-in.
“Negative, I haven’t seen any hostiles,” Reznick said.
“Is he talking to someone at the embassy?” Julian asked.
“I don’t know. I think so,” Isaac replied.
As they drove toward an intersection, Isaac looked toward a side street they were passing. It was blocked off. He knew in his gut that something wasn’t right. There was more going on here.
“Corporal,” Isaac said.
Corporal Reznick was driving the rover while on a comlink with someone else, so Isaac waited. The first rover was rapidly approaching the intersection.
“Corporal,” Isaac said again.
“Maybe you shouldn’t distract him,” Curtis said.
Isaac had heard stories of tactical engagements almost his entire life—stories his father told and the soldiers who frequented the family restaurant. To him, everything that was going on seemed to be carefully orchestrated chaos.
Isaac unbuckled his seat belt, leaned forward, and grabbed the soldier’s arm. “Corporal, slow down. Something’s wrong with that intersection.”
Reznick’s head jerked toward him in surprise and then he eased off the accelerator. The first two rovers darted past the intersection, and a Mekaal hauler came out of nowhere and plowed into the third. Reznick slammed his foot on the brakes, and the rover in front of them swung to the side.
“Go left!” Isaac shouted.
Reznick spun the wheel to the left, and Isaac was thrown into the door as the rover turned sharply.
“That’s the wrong way!” Curtis shouted from the back.
“He’s right,” Julian said. “This is taking us away from the embassy.”
Isaac pulled himself up and looked behind him. Ovarrow were jumping out of the hauler.
“We’re being herded. The intersection was an ambush. All the side streets on the way here were blocked by something. That can’t be a coincidence,” Isaac said.
“Shit. Shit. Shit,” Reznick said and glanced at Isaac. “Get up here. What’s your name?”
“Isaac.”
Reznick frowned and looked at him for a second. “Diaz. Your last name is Diaz?”
Isaac nodded.
Reznick blew out a breath. “Your father is Captain Juan Diaz.”
“Yes.”
“Good. Good,” Reznick said quickly. “Help me keep an eye out for danger. There’s a pistol in the storage compartment. Grab it.”
