She nodded. "I want you to come with me."
"Where?"
"To finish this."
Chapter 22
Jett glanced backward. The city dwindled in the distance; the towering buildings just silhouettes, fingers pointed at the sapphire ceiling. The skimmer was sleek and small, nearly cramped with just himself and Qhawa inside. Its anti-grav thrusters kept it hovering above the surface while rear thrusters propelled it at one hundred fifty miles per hour, leaving a long plume of dust in its wake.
The area around the city wasn't dead as he expected. Greenery ran wild; trees, brush and vines overrunning ancient and long-abandoned homes and businesses. The air was fresh enough to sting his lungs, the light brighter than he'd seen since awakening. Wildlife was everywhere. Rabbits, deer, and foxes ran out of the way, startled by the sonic alarm projected from the front of the skimmer. Jett was surprised to see a herd of giraffes feeding on foliage along the roadside.
All the animals from the zoos had to go somewhere, I guess. Must be an entirely new ecosystem out here.
He glanced at Qhawa, who remained silent the entire ride. "It's beautiful. Why don't people live out here?"
She smiled. "People do."
"You going to tell me where we're going?"
"We're nearly there."
The skimmer slowed to a stop at what looked like the remains of a compound. Nothing was left except the foundation and a few broken corners. A large bobcat sat on its haunches ten yards away, gazing at them with serene golden eyes. Jett got out slowly, disturbed by the familiarity, like a dream hovering on the edge of his consciousness.
Qhawa looked at him. "Do you know where you are?"
The Armordillo rounded a collapsed bridge, bringing their destination in view. The compound was an outpost from the Imperial War, another relic abandoned when the greater concern arrived.
Jett took a deep breath and closed his eyes. He was afraid that if he turned around, he'd see the sky tear open again, spewing fire and death.
"Yeah. This is where we died. Where they died, I mean. Why did you bring me here?"
"Because you need to face it. You cannot be Vigil if you are running from your past."
He exhaled, nodding. Squaring his shoulders, he walked to the foundation. A rusted entranceway opened to stairs leading into the underground portion of the building.
Qhawa handed him a headlamp. "I'll be here when you get back."
He nodded, strapping the device on. Then he turned and descended into the darkness. The hallway was overlain with dust that powered the air with every step. The air was dank and musty. He walked slowly, dimly aware of the mounting fear that compressed his chest, making it hard to breathe. He paused at a dirt-covered object on the floor.
A skeleton greeted him. It was small; a life snuffed out before its time. The memories started to gel together.
Jett rolled to his feet and ran inside, fanning his rifle back and forth. A single body lay inside, shredded by the detonation. He rolled the corpse over with his boot.
"Just a kid. Bastards must have left him to guard the door. Damn it!"
He glanced at the hallway door. The laboratory, where more skeletons lay. Deviants. And Jax, head blown apart. Jett didn't bother going inside. He proceeded down the hall and took the long trip down the stairwell, deeper into the gloom of the past.
Arriving at the bottom, he stared at the blackened, soot-stained entrance of the command center.
Gunfire erupted, turning the chamber into a close-quarter bloodbath. Jett fired at the nearest Deviants, howling as his team took mortal wounds from point-blank range. Bodies jerked in grotesque motion as the room flickered with muzzle flashes, the air filled with screams…
Jett walked inside.
The room covered in char and dust, shredded and wrecked by the explosion. Bones littered the floor; scorch marks scarred the walls.
He stumbled from one to the next, checking for vital signs. There weren't any.
"Jett."
He turned at the sound of the phantom voice. The light from his headlamp beamed on a skull peering from the remains of a tattered combat suit. His throat constricted. He knew exactly who it was.
He followed the warbling voice, shoving away a blazing section of collapsed ceiling. Tatsu lay underneath. Her helmet was shattered, revealing her face. It was the only part of her that wasn't shredded by the explosion.
He knelt, tracing a finger along the cheekbone of Tatsu's skull. She was long gone, just like everything else in the compound. The place was a tomb, everyone in it was dead.
But he wasn't.
He stood, glancing at the broken door. In his mind he heard her voice, the final words she spoke to him.
"Go."
The stasis lab was pristine. Only the faintest coat of dust filmed the equipment. It looked as if ready for use once more. He stared at the pod they pulled him from. The door was ajar; the empty cavity nearly beckoning.
"Hello, Jett."
He whirled around at the sound of the voice. A man sat on the edge of the console on the opposite side of the room. He was mid-sixties, athletic build, silver-haired. His face was carved lines and rigid angles, the face of a man who gave orders and expected them to be obeyed.
"You."
William Golding smiled. "Yes, me."
"What are you doing here?"
"I'm not here, Jett. I'm in Haven Core. But holographic projection is all the rage, so here I am. Your presence triggered alarms in the lab, so naturally I wanted to see who the intruder was. I'm actually not surprised to see you. I figured you'd show up sooner or later."
"You left me here to rot."
Golding raised an eyebrow. "Did I? I did awaken before you. That was on purpose. I had plans, you see. But after my team and I settled down, I made sure to tip off some scavengers to find you. You've had quite the reboot, haven't you? Made some new friends, found a rather unique occupation for yourself."
Jett's eyes narrowed. "You've been watching."
"I watch everything. Information is power, and I used it to gain entrance into the Haven. But my electronic eyes are ever watchful on the outside as well. There are no secrets from me, Jett. Or should I call you Vigil?"
Jett folded his arms. "I guess you'll have HC pick me up when I get back, then."
"Pick you up? Why would I do that? Information shared with everyone is worthless. Consider this our little secret. I wouldn't worry about Haven Core or their little operatives, either. Vigil and your Agent friend may not be high on their gift list, but you've earned their respect. There's a lot of politicking that goes on inside, and this debacle will keep them putting out fires for months. I'll pull what strings I can in the meantime to keep their attention focused elsewhere."
"Why would you help me? You cloned my soldiers. Cloned me, for God's sake."
"I borrowed, Jett. Don't take it personally."
"Borrowed? You stole my life!"
"Just scraped off the fringes. The synoids were a distraction, something to occupy the attention of the Haven Core elite. But I understand how that might offend you, so my apologies."
Jett sneered. "Your apologies? Seems like you do whatever you want, Golding. Why even go out of your way at all?"
Because you fascinate me, Jett. Such a rich and tragic history, and yet you keep going. Keep fighting for others. There's something inspiring in that. Who knows, maybe the two of us will be the catalysts for real change in the Haven and beyond."
"I wouldn't count on that."
"I only count on one thing in the end, Jett. Be seeing you." Golding winked as his hologram faded out, leaving Jett alone in the empty chamber.