I swallow hard, nodding.
"This is what the Collective told us about. It's too easy. This is how they lull us in. Make us overconfident. The question now is how they plan to take us out."
He waves a hand across the air, projecting a holographic map from the cy-gear in his palm. "Initial scans reveal only one person in the park. Based on body measurements, it's Kilgore."
I lean forward, looking at the infrared image of a solitary figure sitting cross-legged in one of the abandoned buildings as if in meditation. No other heat signatures are visible. The park looks skeletal, just the bare bones of roller coasters, old booths, an ancient Ferris wheel, and a giant statue of a pre-Cataclysm mech soldier unit.
Kage points to an approaching blinking dot. "That's Dabria's team. They departed from General Hamilton's military compound twenty-seven miles from here and are two minutes from the rendezvous. Two armored transports, two groups of ten."
"That's only eleven hostiles. How many troops at our disposal?"
"One hundred thirty-two, excluding you and me."
"Should be easy then." I wish I felt as confident as I sound.
Kage appears to share my doubt, tilting his head as if accessing information. "It won't be. Dabria would never be caught off-guard this easily. And Kilgore? He's been a ghost for years. If we're here, it's because they want us to be."
"Then we should abort. No point playing right into their hands."
"No. We proceed as planned. They're not the only ones who can lay traps."
I shiver at his words, know that he doesn't plan on letting them break me loose. Kage is playing his own game, and won't give me up just because of the Collective's predictions. He wants my pain all to himself, something to break down and forge into his own image.
"We're approaching the rendezvous. Eagle Two, I'm taking us up out of their detection range."
His eyes flash, and the chopper jet's nose tilts upward, taking us higher. Glancing out the window, I spot Eagle Two following formation. Onboard is another sixteen-man squad like the one we have with us. Both ships hit their retrorockets, slowing down to hover over the attack zone. The wall screen activates, giving us a magnified bird's-eye view of the action below.
Dabria's two transports arrive in the park, driving directly to the supply building that Kilgore waits in. The garage doors open, allowing them to drive inside.
"Give me eyes in the building," Kage hisses.
The screen obeys his command, displaying video feed from insect drones that have already infiltrated the building. With hundreds of cameras in every part of the structure, we're able to get a three-dimensional, interactive display of the activity inside.
Facial recognition immediately identifies the pertinent targets: Kilgore, standing on a rampart above the transports. Dabria in her battle armor, walking beside Specter, who looks completely out of place despite his new outfit consisting of an asymmetric military jacket and matching cargo pants. The rest of Dabria's crew leap out of the transports, securing defensive positions throughout the building.
Dabria looks up at Kilgore. "What's so important, Kilgore? We're not ready to make our move yet."
He raises a finger, scanning the area. "We've been compromised. Everyone watch yourselves."
"What are you talking about?"
"This place is bugged." A device flashes in his hand. "Get ready to move." His thumb clicks a button, and the feed dissipates, the screen going black.
"Damn it." Kage waves a hand as if conjuring magic. The screen flashes back on, displaying a close-up shot of the building. Thermal and X-ray imaging from drones outside gives us an indication of movement from inside.
Kage places a hand to his helmet. "Take the building."
The five transports move in, one through the main entrance and the others through the four corners of the park. They meet no resistance as they close in on the targeted building. Cyber Corp soldiers spill out of the transports like scurrying ants and form attack formations: androids in front, troopers behind, and five Scythers in command. They breach through doors and windows, entering the building at various entry points. We wait to hear the sounds of the imminent firefight.
Instead, the entire park explodes.
The image on the screen is a massive fireball, painting the screen angry shades of red and orange. We stare in stunned shock at the destruction of our ground forces. Kage is the only one who appears undisturbed, already activating failsafe measures and backup plans. An army of saucer-shaped drones drifts from the sky, descending into the billowing smoke and ash in search of the enemy. His eyes flicker as he receives instant transmissions, his enhanced brain processing information in the time it takes me to blink.
I peer at the screen, searching for signs of movement. "No way they set that off while still in the building."
"Agreed. Suicide isn't Dabria's forte. They must have a secured underground bunker." His eyes flash. "Eagle Two, you've got movement on your flank."
"My sensors aren't picking up anything, Eagle One."
"I'm registering a disturbance in the airflow. The ship is cloaked. Get out of there."
"I don't see anything. Where is it?"
"Get out of there, Eagle Two."
Dabria's airship materializes on the side of Eagle Two, surface rippling as the cloak vanishes. The ship opens fire at point-blank range, shredding Eagle Two's armor with ease. Kage is already taking evasive measures, spinning the jet chopper around as Eagle Two spins in jerky circles, falling to the destruction below. The screams of the men inside crackle over the receiver.
Our ship veers, throwing us around as it tries to outflank the enemy fighter. The sound of firing guns is deafening, the thrum reverberating through the hull. I catch Zen's gaze across the aisle. Her eyes are wide, lips compressed, hands clutching Brutus' protective arm. She shouldn't even be here. I suppress a stab of fury, but I can't concentrate on that now. Especially when the situation becomes even more dangerous.
A sliver of light flashes in our ship's interior, crackling like a strike of lightning. When my vision clears, I can only blink in disbelief. Kilgore is inside of our chopper, kneeling with one fist planted against the floor. His head snaps up, looking at me. A predator's grin stretches across his face.
"What the hell?" Agent Rogers screams.
Kane unlatches his harness. "I'm putting the ship on autopilot. Everyone evacuate and regroup on the ground." He moves while speaking, launching himself at Kilgore. The two men brawl in a dizzying display of blurred limbs before Kilgore pivots, spinning around Kane and delivering a reverse kick that sends him sprawling.
Agent Rogers and his squad unstrap themselves and draw their weapons, but compared to Kilgore's speed they may as well be moving underwater. Kilgore whips his arm in their direction. One second his hand is empty, the next he's clutching an ion blaster as if he summoned it from thin air.
I tackle him as he opens fire, slamming him into the floor. Driving my elbow into his back, I look at Brutus. "Everyone clear out. Brutus, get Zen out of her now!"
He immediately wraps one massive arm around Zen and slaps the OPEN hatch with the other paw, freefalling out the door in a rush of roaring wind with Zen's scream dwindling as they fall. The rest of the squad follows suit as a glancing barrage of enemy fire rocks the ship. I grit my teeth as Kilgore pushes himself up as if my weight is nothing, even when I rain down punches on his head that would turn a normal man's brains into mush.
He responds with a swinging elbow to my temple that makes my vision go double. I roll on the floor, wincing as he leaps to his feet and grapples with Kane, who has regained his equilibrium. Two extra arms unfold from Kane's sides, one wielding a laser-edged dagger, the other an ion blaster. Somehow Kilgore manages to counter every stab and shot, moving with a speed that should be impossible for a human body.