A whirring came out of the storm—a sound Michael knew well. The turbofans churned through the clouds as Deliverance lowered. He still couldn’t see the hull, but far above, the darkness seemed to lighten.
“Easy,” Katrina breathed.
Rays penetrated the darkness, and spotlights turned the USS Zion’s decks bright as the daylight she had imagined all her life.
“There she is,” Layla said.
Michael watched the massive vessel descend, its thrusters firing periodically to hold the ship steady.
Overhead, the hangar door to the belly of the airship slowly opened, and he could see the blue glow of battery packs. Ropes dangled to the Zion’s weather deck, and Les ran out to grab them.
He used carabiners to clip them to the deck cleats. The ship rocked slightly from the wave action, but remained steady overhead.
The first thing down was a supply crate.
Trey and Jaideep hurried over to secure it, then wheeled it on a dolly back into the hangar.
“Our fuel cell and food for the trip,” Katrina said. “Plus some extra ammunition.”
Next came the other divers. The blue glow of five battery units winked on above and started down the ropes, swaying in the wind and rain.
Les, Trey, and Jaideep waited to help them.
One by one, the new divers hit the deck. They ran to the garage with multiple weapons slung over their shoulders and more holstered on their hips and legs. Bandoliers stuffed with shotgun shells and belts of high-caliber rounds hung over chest armor.
Michael had never seen such heavily armed divers before, but they would need every gun and bullet for this mission. They would also need the contents of the crates Alexander and Jed carried. Inside were drones and other recon equipment from the armory on Deliverance. They also had EMP grenades that could be used to fry small and large grids.
He turned as Jaideep embraced his brother.
“I was so damn worried about you, man!” Vish said.
Jed, Sandy, Eevi, and Alexander stowed their packs and weapons in the hangar, then came together in a small group while Katrina walked over to the departing divers.
“Lieutenant, if there’s anything you want to say about this plan, now is the time,” she said to Les. “I need to make sure I can count on you to follow my orders once you get back to the Hive.”
“You can,” Les said. “Just take care of my boy.”
“Do what I can’t do, Captain,” Michael said. “Save X, Mags, and Miles. I wish I could help.”
A wave of dizziness rushed over him, and he closed his eyes to let it pass.
“I’ll do everything, Commander. You have my word.” Katrina reached out but stopped short of clapping him on the shoulder. She moved to Layla and gave her a hug. Finally, she went to shake Les’ hand. They embraced instead.
“Good luck, Les,” she said. “Remember, start with the militia, I don’t want panic to spread on the airships.”
“Understood, Captain. Good luck to you as well.” He looked to Trey one last time and gestured for Layla and Michael to follow him onto the deck. The rain beat down on the divers as they made their way out.
“We’ll secure Michael first!” Les shouted over the noise of the storm.
Layla moved into position. Once Michael was tied in, he looked up at the airship, raised his hand over his head, and rotated it in circles.
A winch started at the top, and he rose off the deck, swaying in the violent wind.
His earpiece crackled. “Commander Everhart, there’s something you should hear,” Katrina said over a private channel.
He looked down to the deck. Layla and Les were tying in to ride up next, clearly oblivious to what Katrina was saying.
“This is a recorded transmission from X.”
Michael’s heart leaped with hope when he heard X’s gravelly voice in his helmet.
“This message is for Michael. As you may know, I’ve found the Metal Islands. I know I told you not to come for us, but we’re here now and it’s everything Janga said it would be, plus some.”
The wind howled, making it difficult to hear.
Michael held the rope as it bowed in a gust.
“By the time you hear this, we will likely be dead,” X said. “But when you do come, prepare to face a brutal enemy—worse than the Sirens. Avenge Miles. Avenge Magnolia, and promise me that when you make this humanity’s future, you won’t resort to barbarism like the Cazadores. I dived so humanity would survive. I dived for this place. I love you, Tin. Be good, fight hard, and remember what you told me: Accept your past without regrets. Handle your present with confidence. Face your future without fear.” He paused for a moment. “I’ll always be here for you in spirit, kid.”
The transmission shut off, leaving Michael with goose bumps prickling his arm. He looked out over the swollen storm clouds, wondering whether this was how X felt when he was left behind all those years ago.
A tear rolled down his cheek. He took in a long, deep breath. This wasn’t the time to despair.
It was the time to fight.
Minutes later, he was in the hangar bay on Deliverance, and Ensign Ada Winslow reached out and grabbed him, pulling him into the safety of the bay.
Michael looked back down at the USS Zion below, and a wave of energy rushed through him. As soon as he got back to the Hive, he would get patched up, and then he would prepare for the most important part of his life: the fight for the future of his family, his friends, and all humanity.
TWENTY-THREE
Mags, wake up.
The nasal voice in her dream sounded oddly familiar, but no face showed itself in the darkness of her mind. She was stuck in limbo between consciousness and oblivion. She had experienced sleep paralysis before, but this was different. This time, she wasn’t stuck in a dream. The voice calling out to her seemed real, but it couldn’t be. The voice belonged to a dead man.
Wake up. Come on. Wake up!
Her swollen eyes opened enough to let in a sliver of sunlight. In the past, she would have confused the view with a dream, but it took her only a fleeting moment to realize that this was real. The fruit trees and the sunlight glinting off the blue-green waters reminded her where she was and how she had gotten here.
“Miles…” she muttered. “Miles, where are you?”
The wet fur that brushed up against her filled her with relief. She reached out and pulled the dog close. His wet tongue lapped at her arm, and she forced her eyes open to see him looking up at her.
The bright rays hitting their cage made her squint. She tasted blood. Reaching up, she felt the goose egg forming on the center of her forehead. A thin line of dried blood ran down her face and onto her exposed neck and chest.
She remembered then. There was the throne made of bone, the metal sculpture of an octopus hanging above it, and the cage to the right.
But the king and his servants were absent. Only one guard was present. He stood facing the cage on the other side of the throne, by the only door she had seen on her way in.
She scanned the rounded platform jutting from the castle. The other soldiers were gone. Beyond the castle, smoke filled the blue skies, threatening to block the sun. She couldn’t see much more. But she knew that X was out there, fighting to get to her and Miles.
She checked the dog for injuries. Blood matted his coat in several places, though she couldn’t tell what was his and what was her own.
“You’re going to be okay, my friend,” she whispered.