“What options do I have to pick from, Lieutenant?”
“I could cherry-pick individuals like I did for the Hell Divers, or I could tell people the truth and hope we can rally a small army to our cause…”
Static broke over the line.
“Les,” she said. “Les, do you copy?”
More static crackled over the speakers.
Thunder boomed from a near strike outside. The electrical storm was messing with their comms again, and they were losing power. Katrina knew she didn’t have long to make a decision.
Heaving a sigh, she brought the receiver back to her lips.
“Les, if you can hear this, your orders are to tell everyone on the Hive and Deliverance what’s really down there. After that, put the word out, we need soldiers.”
Keeping the passengers in the dark had been a policy of the captains before her, but she was finally going to break with those traditions. The people of the sky deserved to know the evil they would face on those oil rigs when the time came to fight for their new home.
FOUR
Les Mitchells slammed the radio down.
“Shit, we lost her.”
After days of trying to get hold of the captain and the USS Zion, the conversation had been cut short, and Les had a dozen other things he needed to talk to Katrina about.
“Did she say what I thought I heard her say?” Layla asked.
The order had surprised them all, but at least he was now free to tell the truth and recruit on a wider scale.
“Someone already dropped the bombshell about the Metal Islands,” Michael said. “Now it’s just a matter of explaining what they really are—and what we’re going to find there.”
“Who would have done that?” Layla asked.
Les looked toward the small crew of Ensigns Dave Connor, Bronson White, and Ada Winslow. He trusted them and doubted that any of them were responsible. Not many people knew that X and Magnolia had found the Metal Islands, and even fewer knew what the Metal Islands actually were and who lived there.
Chief Engineer Samson was one of those few. But there was always the possibility that a passenger with a radio could have intercepted a transmission.
It didn’t matter now. The rumors were out, and they were growing and evolving like an electrical storm over a red zone. Even his wife and daughter were asking him for details.
A sudden thought made him cringe. Had Phyl or Katherine told a friend about the Metal Islands? That was all he had told them at this point, and he would give them the full truth before the announcement.
In a few hours, every soul on the airships would know the truth about the one habitable location they had discovered in over 260 years.
“I’ll call a gathering tonight in the trading post and broadcast it over the comm systems,” Les said. “In the meantime, I’ll get with Sergeant Sloan again to see how many militia soldiers we have for the fighting force.”
“This would be a really good time for some still-disgruntled lower-deckers to try something,” Layla said, nervously brushing the end of a braid with her thumb.
“Maybe they’ll save some of that anger for the Cazadores,” Michael said, “and fight with us when the time comes.”
“Maybe,” Layla replied, clearly not convinced.
“Sergeant Sloan has assured me security on the airships will remain her top priority,” Les said, although he wasn’t sure that was possible. They couldn’t commit a force to the Metal Islands without leaving the airships’ security team severely understaffed.
Michael stood, holding his stump in one hand. “Is there anything else, Lieutenant?”
Les shook his head. “Not unless you want to meet with Sergeant Sloan and me later.”
“Michael should be resting,” Layla said.
“That’s all I’ve been doing. Besides, I have somewhere I need to go.”
Layla shot him a wary glance. “Where?”
“To the archives. I want to see if the records have anything about Red Sphere.”
Les had a feeling there was more to it than a little research.
“You’re still healing,” Layla said, “and it’s probably about time for some more painkillers. Does Dr. Huff even know you left?”
“I don’t take orders from the doc. I report only to the captain, and I’m certain she would appreciate more information on what we faced at Red Sphere. The Cazadores aren’t the only enemy out there, you know.”
Les wasn’t used to seeing Michael argue with Layla, especially in front of others. There was something odd about his behavior, and not just because he lost his arm to one of the robots. They all wanted to avenge Erin’s and Ramon’s deaths at the hands of the AI defectors, but the only threat that mattered right now was the Cazadores.
The gravelly voice of Samson suddenly broke across the bridge. An unannounced visit from the chief engineer probably meant something was wrong. He rarely made the trip to Deliverance unless it was important.
“Lieutenant, you want to explain to me why I should be turning on that AI again?” he said.
Ah, yes, the discussion about trusting Timothy Pepper. He should have known this was coming.
Les sighed as the burly man made his way across the bridge, dabbing at his forehead with an oil-stained handkerchief.
“I’m going to be honest. I think it’s a shit-can idea, especially after what happened at Red Sphere.” Samson glanced at Michael but didn’t address his injury.
“You’ve heard the reports of what Pepper did to help X and Mags reach the Metal Islands,” Michael said. “For that reason alone, I think it’s safe to say he isn’t allied with the murder machines we encountered at Red Sphere.”
“I agree,” Les said. “But Katrina said this is your call.”
“Don’t you need his help?” Layla asked. “We’re short-staffed, and Timothy can certainly fill in some of the gaps.”
Samson shoved the hankie into the bib pocket of his coveralls. “Of course I could use his damn help. The Hive is falling apart like always, but I also don’t like the idea of having him malfunction and kill us all in a fiery wreck… or worse.”
“That’s highly unlikely,” Les said.
“But if there’s even a ghost of a chance…” Samson’s bloodshot eyes scanned each of them in turn. Then he made a sound somewhere between a snort and a sigh.
“Well?” Les asked.
Samson shrugged a shoulder. “I could use his help with some engineering issues, and we will need his assistance with Captain DaVita when we rendezvous at the Metal Islands… assuming we ever hear from her again.”
“We just did,” Les said.
Samson muttered, “No one tells me anything.”
“We haven’t had the chance—and already lost contact,” Les said. He explained about the damage to the USS Zion, and Katrina’s orders to call a meeting on the Hive, where they would discuss the Metal Islands and recruit fighters on a wider scale.
“She’s lost her damn mind,” Samson growled. “But I can’t say as I blame her. Never thought I’d see the day when we found a habitable place on the surface.”
“That makes two of us,” Les said. “And that’s why I agree this is worth the risk. That’s why I let my boy stay down there.”
The engineer stood there a moment, staring down at the patches on his boots. “All right, I’ll give the order to turn Pepper back on, but the moment he acts up, I’ll light him up like a Hell Diver in an electrical storm.”
“Not funny!” Michael said.
“Ah, hell, we need a little humor around here,” Samson said, clapping Michael on his good arm.
“When you reactivate Timothy, tell him I’d like to see him,” Michael said.