The ship vibrated as its fusion drive came online. Sparks’s voice emanated from speakers built into the wardroom’s corners.
“Prepare for liftoff.”
Immediately, the ship lifted. I heard the ship’s struts retract into its hull, and the boarding ramp slid into its slot. The ship turned, accelerating away from the airport.
We stayed seated as we gained in both speed and altitude. A few minutes later, we had reached cruising speed.
“What’s Bunker Six like?” I asked Ashton.
“It’s a small facility,” Ashton said. “One of the satellites of Bunker One. It held approximately 250 people, along with the United States Space Fleet. I know I said it wasn’t dangerous, but I was speaking relatively. Going into an offline Bunker is always dangerous. The hangar should be clear, though. At least, it was the last time I was there. It was sealed off back when the Bunker fell. Everyone who escaped, myself included, ended up in Skyhome.”
“If it’s clear, like you say, no problem then, right?” I asked.
“We’ll see before long.”
Chapter 7
It was two hours before Orion dropped in altitude. Within another few minutes, Orion ceased forward motion and began to lower vertically. We were descending into Bunker Six’s hangar. The struts gave a metallic squeal as they extended. Shortly thereafter, the ship touched down.
Ashton, Anna, and I stood as the boarding ramp extended. Sparks, followed by Emperor Augustus, entered the wardroom.
Maxillo handed Ashton a radio. Another Praetorian handed Ashton, Anna, and I our handguns. Anna also received her blade.
“When you get to the blast door, Jonas will give you the code,” Augustus said. “Once on board, he’ll walk you through the start-up sequence.”
“I know how to fly a ship,” Ashton said.
“Once the ship is online, we’ll be ready to head back to L.A.” Augustus paused. “Understood?”
Ashton nodded. “Let’s get this over with.”
Maxillo opened the door. A rush of stale, metallic air entered the wardroom. When I stepped down the boarding ramp into Bunker Six’s hangar, it was much colder than I expected. From above, red sunlight filtered down through a large, square opening large enough for spaceships to enter and exit. A wide, open area stretched between us and where Perseus was parked. The ship looked exactly like Orion and Odin, which made sense because the three ships had identical schematics.
The last two spaceships were in this very hangar, unless there happened to be another one out there we didn’t know about.
As we descended Orion’s ramp, I continued to take in my surroundings. Walls of rock rose before stopping at the opening above. Toward my right, in the back corner of the hangar, was a large, retractable door, barred shut. I assumed it led deeper into the Bunker. Faded yellow paint on its corrugated surface read 6.
As Orion idled behind us, Ashton struck out across the hangar. I felt Augustus’s eyes on us as we walked.
When we finally made it to Perseus, we walked up the boarding ramp. Ashton raised the radio to his mouth.
“Code?”
“7-4-6-5-Z-Z-8-0-0,” Jonas said.
Ashton input the code. The door beeped and slid open, revealing Perseus’s wardroom. It was identical to Odin and Orion in every regard.
“You and Anna scout aft,” Ashton said. “I’ll head to the bridge.”
Anna and I followed Ashton’s order. Once aft, we checked the two cabins on the left side of the corridor, and the clinic on the right. The lavatory was also clear, which left the engine room. It was also empty of threats.
We headed back to the wardroom, where we met Ashton.
“Cargo bay,” Ashton said. “I already checked the bridge, galley, and captain’s quarters.”
We headed down the three steps out of the wardroom, opening the door into the cargo bay. It was practically empty. There was a metal cabinet built into the wall, and several cords and hoses curled on the deck, but not much else.
“Clear,” Ashton said into his radio.
“Are you at the bridge yet?” Jonas asked.
“In a minute,” Ashton said. “About to start it up.”
“Hurry. The Emperor wants to get moving.”
We exited the cargo bay and headed for the bridge. Anna took the copilot’s seat while Ashton took the pilot’s.
“Code?” Ashton asked.
“3-1-5-8,” Jonas said.
Ashton keyed in the code on the LCD. Slowly, the ship rumbled to life. Its hull and deck vibrated as the fusion drive, dormant for thirty years, worked itself online.
“Thank God it works,” Ashton said. “Fuel levels full. Switching to inter-ship comm.”
“Copy that,” Jonas said.
Anna flicked a few buttons. “Should be connected.”
“Jonas?” Ashton asked. “You hear me?”
Jonas’s voice now came from the dash.
“Loud and clear.”
“Following your lead.”
“Copy that.”
Orion lifted from the hangar, its thrusters glowing blue. Ashton waited a few seconds before following. I strapped myself to the jump seat at the back of the bridge, behind both Ashton and Anna. The ship swerved as it rose. The hangar fell away as we lifted into the red sky above.
Before us spread a panorama of pink and purple mountains. Red mist shrouded the jagged peaks, and pink xenofungus extended as far as the eye could see. Swarms of birds flew in cyclones above the xenofungal floor. In the far distance, a massive Xenolith rose from the fungus, much larger than any I’d ever seen. More such Xenoliths dotted the horizon. We were deep into the Great Blight. The xenolife here would be more massive and exotic — and probably dangerous.
“Perseus…” It was Augustus’s voice. “We have just received word from Los Angeles. The Reapers are shelling my camp.”
We looked at each other. It was time to make good on our side of the bargain, but Makara and the others still needed airlifting out of Oasis, if they were still there.
“Augustus,” Ashton said. “We…have something to take care of, first. It won’t take long.”
“What?”
“We’ll…be back to help soon. It has to do with our friends.”
“Your friends?” The dash was silent for a moment. “You mean…Samuel?”
“We didn’t want to say anything. But they are alive. We know, because the cargo bay of Gilgamesh was empty. There was a Recon stored there, so we know they got out. We think they’re in Oasis, and Oasis is under attack. We have to save them.”
It took a while for Augustus to react to these words. I could only imagine his shock.
“I…can hardly believe that, Ashton. Even if it’s true…how do you know they are there?”
Ashton looked at me. “I think we might have a lead. Don’t ask me to explain. It should only take thirty minutes extra.”
“Thirty minutes?” Augustus asked. “Do you know how many of my men could die in that time?”
“This is important,” Ashton said. “And it’s not something we can argue about. It’s something we must do.”
Augustus said something in Spanish, likely a curse.
“I went through all this trouble to provide you with a spaceship, and this is how you repay me?”
“It won’t be long for us to pick them up,” I said. “If we wait, they’re going to die, and we can’t let that happen. We don’t have time, especially if they have flyers. Your men can hold on that long.”