Critical Dawn (26 page)

Denver wiped the sweat and dirt from his eyes. The journey back from Manhattan had been long and tedious. He’d only caught a few hours of sleep as they drove back overnight. The weight of the bomb, the mines, and the other supplies in his backpack seemed heavier than his usual load. Luckily, his alien rifle helped balance things out.

Pip trotted by his side, staying close. Even she didn’t like Gregor that much, and Denver had come to learn his dog’s intuition was often worth paying attention to.

He’d noticed Gregor glancing at him and the weapon with an expression of jealousy, but then he had an automatic weapon, so he had nothing to concern himself in terms of who had the biggest penis replacement.

They walked in a tense silence through the forest, heading for the farm. Gregor and Layla led the way. Maria hung back with Denver, and Ben floated between them. Denver pitied him really. A man needed a family or at least a close circle. Ben didn’t seem to fit particularly well anywhere, but at least he’d followed the plan and hadn’t sold Charlie and him out.

And having Gregor and the others armed now seemed like great foresight considering the croatoans’ change of behavior. Denver wondered if Charlie had already foreseen that. It wouldn’t be too surprising.

One didn’t survive for as long as Charlie Jackson without noticing small changes and having the smarts to plan ahead. Though the plan hadn’t gone down as expected, the result was the same: using the farm as a way into the ship.

He thought about Charlie going up there with the bomb and not coming back. Up until now, it had felt like something that would happen in a future that wouldn’t have real consequences. A part of him perhaps thought it wouldn’t work out like this, that he’d come up with another plan. Of course, he had that bastard hunter on his tail, but Denver had full belief in his dad. Charlie knew these woods better than anyone.

By following them here overnight, the hunter had made a big mistake. He’d given himself a massive disadvantage. This was Charlie’s playground. Advanced alien species or not, he was fighting Charlie Jackson in his backyard. And this backyard was loaded with surprises.

“He’ll be okay, won’t he?” Maria said as Denver held back a thick branch to let her step through the trees into a clearing with a path worn into the compacted grass.

“Yeah,” Denver said. “He’s like a ghost in this place. Don’t worry about him. Just keep your eyes open for anything waiting for us. We don’t know if the bastards up there have sent reinforcements yet or if they even know what’s going on.”

“They won’t,” Gregor said, looking back over his shoulders. “I dealt with the guards. There’s none left to get word back. They’ll know when they don’t report in for the evening’s update, but we’ll be in position by then. Besides, Augustus thinks I’m dead.”

“How can we be so sure?” Ben said, speaking for the first time since they left the clock tower. “Wouldn’t their bike’s movements send an alarm?”

Gregor stopped and glared at Ben, clearly not liking someone questioning him. Ben flinched away when the gangster stepped closer. Denver put his hand on Ben’s shoulder and, towering over them, glared back at Gregor. “Drop this macho bullshit. We need to work together now. Just answer the question. Is there any way the ones that chased you or the ones at the farm compound could have raised an alarm?”

Looking up at Denver, a smile of derision stretched across Gregor’s face. “A chip off the old block, eh? Just like your own old man, though he ain’t really your old man, is he? You were just something he stole from another family like a magpie.”

Pip growled low in her throat, but she became quiet when Denver reached down and scratched behind her ears. “It’s okay, girl.”

The bait attempt was obvious. Denver let the jibe wash over him. He didn’t care for word games. It was the sign of the inferior man. Denver didn’t need words to back up what he was capable of. “Time’s getting on,” he said. “We can stand around all day behaving like kids, or you can just cooperate and work as a team. What is it? You want to take out your frustrations with my dad on me? Fancy your chances, do you, Gregor?”

The older man seemed to size Denver up but hesitated. He smiled and shook his head. “Yeah, just like your old man. And for the last time, no, there is no alarm raised. And how do I know?” He pointed to the sky. “There’s no fucking craft or shuttles coming down from the mother ship. If the croatoans from the farm raised an alarm, we wouldn’t be standing here right now. For all they know, the ones that chased us had dealt with us. The orders were to kill me. Without any other update, there’s no reason to suspect anything else has happened. So let’s just shut the hell up and get to the farm while we still have the element of surprise.”

Layla shrugged her shoulders in a silent apology to Denver and the others. How Gregor could have retained the loyalty of a woman like her, smart, capable, and beautiful, Denver would never know.

But strange times called for strange alliances—even with someone as low as Gregor, the killer of Charlie’s true love, Pippa.

“I wanted to thank you,” Ben said to Denver as they headed across the clearing.

“Why’s that?”

“For making things clear for me before I came here. I know it’s not how it was supposed to go down, but it was the right decision. With poor Ethan gone, I know I would have been useless in that kind of situation. I’m not cut out for this kind of thing.”

“We just have to keep going,” Maria said. “Make sure Charlie gets the bomb up there, and we can have our revenge for Jimmy, Erika, and Ethan. Just focus, Ben. It’ll be over soon.”

A hush descended as they made their way through the next section of forest. Fifteen minutes later, Gregor stopped everyone. “Just beyond here is my office and the rest of the compound. We need to get to Vlad and Alex.”

“And secure the breeding rooms,” Layla said.

“So how are we playing this? We can’t go in all guns blazing,” Denver said. “We need that shuttle to complete its routine pickup and wait for Charlie to get back.”

“What if he doesn’t?” Maria said. She instantly held up her palms. “I know, I know, I’m just thinking of contingencies. In the unlikely event he doesn’t meet up with us.”

“I’ll go,” Denver said. “I had Mike show me how the bomb works. If my dad’s not back in time for the shuttle, I’ll take his place.”

Maria squeezed his arm, and a pained expression distorted her lips where unspoken words formed. He knew she cared, but he knew his duty. This was always his plan. And if he had the choice, he’d go instead of his dad anyway, regardless. He even considered somehow getting onto the shuttle before his dad so he didn’t have the option, but he knew it would hurt him too much. So he accepted that this was Charlie Jackson’s call, and as his son, he’d do as he was told.

“We wait here,” Gregor said. “Give your old man a chance to show up. The shuttle isn’t due for another two hours.”

“And in the meantime,” Layla said, “I’ll go and prep Vlad and Alex.”

“Are you crazy?” Gregor said.

“Not at all. Think about it. There’s no more of the larger croatoans left, only a handful of engineers and surveyors. They won’t have orders to kill me; that was for you. As far as they’re concerned, I’m no problem.”

Gregor paused for a moment, probably assessing options, figuring out the various issues. Finally, he nodded. “If there’s any sign of problem, shout, scream, do whatever, but get our attention, and we’ll come in to help.”

“I’m hoping it won’t come to that,” Layla said. “We’ll only get one chance at getting that bomb on the shuttle. When it goes back, they’ll know what’s happened.”

“While you’re in there,” Gregor said, his face lighting up with an idea, “sabotage their communication rig. That way, if things get fucked up down here, those up there won’t have a clue.”

Layla took a breath and checked herself over, smartening herself up. “I’ll tell them I just went out for a scout and got attacked by a survivor,” she said. “If there are any questions.”

“The way Vlad is, I doubt he’ll even notice,” Gregor added. “Go now, and Layla? Take care, won’t you?”

She gave him a wink and disappeared beyond the trees. Denver just hoped there wasn’t a welcome party waiting for her. But she seemed strong and intelligent. He had confidence she’d figure something out.

And he hoped his dad would get here soon. He’d been listening for sounds of gunfire and landmines, but the forest had taken on a heavy silence. He didn’t like that one bit. It always seemed to be a precursor to something unnatural, something dangerous, like the insects and birds and the few remaining mammals knew before any human. Even the trees seemed too still.

But there was nothing left to do now other than wait.

***

Charlie vaulted a log and sidestepped the rusted remnants of a water tower stanchion. Serpentine branches had woven through the crisscross metal supports, creating a solid green barrier. Skidding like a kid playing baseball, he dug his foot into the dirt and swung around behind the natural cover.

Sweat clung to his camo shirt, sticking it to his back. His lungs ached with the exertion. Having taken the last of the root compound before the drive back, he was feeling the effects of his old muscles.

Despite that, he’d still managed to outfox the alien hunter. He looked through a gap in the branches and saw birds flutter high above the tree line, indicating something moving below.

The snap of a twig ahead of him confirmed it. He raised the alien rifle and sighted down its aiming groove. He didn’t understand fully how the damn thing’s armor worked, but having shot it in the leg before, it seemed that it could be caught off guard.

A rustle of leaves twenty feet away and a darting squirrel made him tense, ready and waiting. But then nothing.

The forest became still, almost as if the hunter had placed a blanket over the place.

It was a trap.

The hair on the back of Charlie’s neck stood on end, and his pulse spiked.

He spun round to see the dark shadow dart out from behind a huge redwood. The hunter focused on Charlie, raising its sword.

Even with the injured leg, it sprinted across the ground, eating up the distance.

Charlie tried to spin out of the way, but his elbow got caught against a branch, unbalancing him and making him stumble over a root.

The rifle slipped from his hand. He hit the ground on his ribs, winding himself. But with the adrenaline making his reactions faster and the remnants of the compound still active, he managed to twist in time to avoid the slash of the sword as it struck the ground inches from his head.

The alien’s thick legs, knotted with muscles beneath the form-fitting armor, planted on either side of him, pinning him in place.

Looking closely, he noticed the armor was actually a mesh. He could see a jagged hole just above its reversed knee. The fabric had torn away to reveal a thick coating of orange gel: the root as a healing agent.

The alien lifted its sword from the ground.

Its face, visible through a clear visor, seemed to smile at him. Its solid black eyes grew small.

It struck out, but Charlie had anticipated the head strike and leaned forward. The sword swung freely over his head, the creature’s arm crashing into Charlie’s right shoulder.

He took the hit with a grunt and reached over with his left hand to pin the alien’s arm. Charlie kicked forward into its left knee, collapsing it to the ground.

Charlie knew he’d never be able to out-power it, but he could outsmart it.

Grabbing a fistful of dirt with his free hand, he smeared it across the visor, and, letting go of its trapped arm, rolled away, coming up on his knees.

From his flanking position, he noticed two pipes that connected its breathing apparatus to a slim tank on its bank.

Before the alien had the chance to re-orient itself, Charlie launched himself onto its back, grabbing the pipes and pulling on them.

They resisted at first, and the hunter tried to fling him from his back, but Charlie clung on and screamed with a deep roar as he put everything he had left into breaking those pipes.

He felt the right one give, so he let go of the left and with both hands yanked on the right pipe. The alien dropped his sword and reached up and over with his hands, grabbing Charlie by the head.

The damn thing’s strength was incredible.

Charlie thought it’d crush his skull, but as it continued to thrash and buck, it pulled Charlie over its head and flung him away. The pipe came away with a loud hiss as Charlie collided with the ground; his head banged against a rock, making his vision swim.

Through the dizziness, he watched as the hunter frantically tried to rejoin the connection to his breathing tank, but Charlie had the broken part in his hand. He dropped it and reached out for the alien rifle in front of him.

Squinting to help combat his fuzzy vision, he pulled the trigger.

The blast hit the alien square in the chest, throwing it back against the ground with a thud. Its arms collapsed by its side. Charlie heaved himself up and approached, holding the rifle in front of him.

The alien was still. Yellow blood dripped from its chest, the wound raw and ugly, exposing its weird biology. Even its face, previously black behind the visor, had turned a sickly yellow color, its mouth held open in a silent snarl of final anguish.

“You ugly fucker,” Charlie said, kicking at it to make it sure it was dead.

No movement.

“You’re the best they’ve got, eh? Welcome to my world, motherfucker.”

Charlie spat blood from his mouth and turned, leaving the dead alien behind in the dirt for the animals and bugs to feed on. If it wanted Earth so much, it could have it.

Gregor scanned through the trees past his office toward the chocolate factory. Layla had been gone for just over an hour. A hover-bike breezed overhead and lowered into the square. Nothing out of the ordinary. The massive shape in the sky was, and it started to move again, rumbling along, creating a sound like a continuous blast from a distant foghorn. The croatoans on the ground, he observed, seemed oblivious to the new arrival.

In the near vicinity, Layla’s trailer was reduced to a black, charred skeleton. Gregor wondered if the croatoans would kill her on sight, although it was him they were after and only acted on direct orders or procedures. Alex and Vlad’s trailers were still in place without any noticeable damage, as was Igor’s rotting shed.

Maria shuffled alongside him on her elbows. “They told me you were responsible for the set-up inside the harvester.”

Gregor shrugged. “I didn’t build them. Just passed the idea along to Augustus. He’s the real boss. Besides, you were safe in there. Had hope.”

“Until my
retirement
.” She slapped him across the face and shuffled out of arm’s reach. “Now I can work with you.”

“You can have that one for free,” Gregor said. “But only that one.”

“Can’t say you didn’t deserve that,” Denver said.

The slap momentarily stung, but it was worth taking if it meant having Maria fully onboard. He needed trust when leading the diversionary assault on the farm. Not a former harvester worker with a grudge, taking him down before they achieved their goal.

Gregor turned to Denver. “There’s a lot of things you and your fake dad deserve too. All good things come to he who waits.”

“Do you know what he once said about you?”

“Fuck this,” Gregor said. “I’m going to sweep the forest. Make sure they’re not sneaking up. You should know all about that.”

Ben was propped against a tree. He’d sat and agreed with everyone for the last hour. Gregor resisted the temptation to kick him in the face as he passed.

“How long you gonna be?” Denver said.

“Not long. Layla should be back soon.”

Gregor needed time to think away from the group. Every few minutes, Denver chipped away at his nerves. Maria was like a parrot on his shoulder.

He wanted to think of a disaster recovery plan. If Charlie couldn’t get on the shuttle, they needed another play. Something effective. His mind blanked. It seemed like they had a one shot deal.

Cutting through the trees, scrambling over obstacles and surveying the damp ground for fresh croatoan boot marks helped release some of the tension he felt building inside.

Above, he heard the increasing hum of the shuttle descending toward the farm. The others would see it shortly. They’d positioned themselves in woodland between the landing area and warehouses. A trail was cut through the woodland to allow the containers to be transported for loading. As soon as the croatoans appeared on the trail, the plan was to attack the warehouses. Starting with the barracks.

Something moved in the trees ahead.

Gregor ducked behind a moss-covered rock and peered over it.

A figured darted between two redwoods, heading toward him.

Human.

Charlie Jackson.

Gregor looked down the sights of the AR-15. Aimed at Charlie. Followed his movements as he closed in. Fifty yards. Forty. Thirty.

His finger itched on the trigger. Gregor had waited years for this opportunity. Denver would take the bomb if his father didn’t show.

He couldn’t fire. Yesterday, Jackson would’ve been worm food. But not today.

Charlie hadn’t spotted him. He was twenty yards away. Gregor kept the rifle shouldered and stood. “Managed to deal with the alien?”

Charlie abruptly stopped. His hand twitched against the alien rifle. He darted behind a tree. “Waiting to ambush me, Gregor?”

Gregor knelt back behind the rock. “I wasn’t going to shoot. I could’ve easily killed you if I wanted.”

He peered over the moss. Charlie’s head shot back behind the tree.

“We need to finish this, Gregor. Lower your rifle.”

“Both of us come out after I count to three. Leave our rifles on the ground.”

“Why should I trust you? You don’t have to pretend to care. Nobody else can see you out here.”

“You need to get that bomb onto the ship. It’s in all of our interests. I’m arranging a place for you on the shuttle and leading the attack on the farm. Why would I jeopardize the plan?”

“Because you’re a dick who has no respect for life.”

Gregor scowled and bit his fist. “The shuttle’s arrived. There won’t be another run until tomorrow morning.
If
there is another run. You heard what Layla said.”

A sickly-looking rabbit with greasy fur shuffled between the rock and tree. Time was against all native species. The shuttle would be gone in less than an hour.

Gregor stood, placed his rifle on the rock, and held his arms out.

Charlie looked around the tree. He placed his rifle on the ground and stepped out.

They stood twenty yards apart. Charlie walked to his side. Gregor moved to keep an equal distance until they were ten yards away from their weapons.

Charlie rolled up the sleeves of his camouflage shirt. Gregor took off his watch. They started circling a large rock, staring at each other.

“Why did you kill Pippa?” Charlie said.

“It wasn’t me. I swear on my mother’s grave.”

“Your mother was a whore. Stop lying. Why did you do it?”

Gregor winced. He’d slit throats for lesser comments. “I killed the man who did it yesterday morning. You, on the other hand, killed my cousin.”

“He was collateral damage. I blew up a croatoan building. If you lot didn’t have your tongues stuck up the croatoans’ shit pipes, unlike us survivors—”

“Stop right there. You won’t get a rise out of me. I did what I needed to keep my team alive. Those humans, livestock, they’re bred for food. They didn’t have a previous life like you or me. I only went after people who attacked my operation.”

Charlie shook his head, maintaining his cold stare. “You think it’s acceptable? Do you? I mean, deep down in your commie soul?”

“I’m not a commie, and the ice age froze my soul. We’re never going to agree, so let’s get this plan out of the way and meet back here.”

“You know I’m not coming back, Gregor. Whenever I think about Pippa, I can’t help seeing your ugly face. Do you think that’s the last thing I want to see up there?” Charlie pointed to the sky.

Gregor stopped and reached for his pocket. Charlie stopped opposite and narrowed his eyes.

They walked toward each other. Gregor produced the blue bead necklace and held it toward Charlie. “Here. I think you’ll want this for your journey.”

Charlie paused. Looked down. He snatched the necklace from Gregor’s hand and briefly closed his eyes. “If you lay a finger on Denver after I’ve gone …”

“We’ll go our separate ways. You have my word on it. From now on, my enemy’s enemy is my friend.”

Charlie started walking back toward his rifle. “Let’s do this.”

***

Making their way back to the group, Gregor kept a healthy distance between himself and Charlie. A suspension in hostilities was all they needed. They were never going to be friends. There was too much water under the bridge.

Four people squatted against trees when he approached. Layla frantically gestured him over when she saw Gregor coming. He quickened his pace and crouched next to her. Charlie stooped on her other side. They briefly glanced at each other, then Layla.

“How’d it go?” Gregor said.

“They’re starting work right away. Alex is going to stall the croatoans,” Layla said. She looked at Charlie. “Vlad will help you in the warehouse. He’s going to put some equipment in a container for you. An alien rifle and some oxygen equipment.”

“What about the farm? Any step-up in security since yesterday?” Gregor said.

“Some reinforcements came down on a shuttle last night. Just the usual ones, nothing like that thing we saw in Ridgway. Besides Augustus asking them to pressurize the breeding lab, it’s been business as usual.”

“Breeding lab. You fucking people,” Charlie said. “Can we rely on them?”

“Augustus’s message put a rocket up their asses. It doesn’t take a genius to work out why he wants to do it.”

Gregor raised his eyebrows. “Because they’re changing Earth into the middle box?”

“What’s he babbling about?” Charlie said. He looked at Gregor and slowly said, “They’re doing it because that ship is gonna complete the terraforming process.”

“I know that,” Gregor said. “I was referring to a scientific experiment. Something that’s probably way above your head.”

“Look above my head,” Charlie said. “There’s two ships that want to kill us.”

Layla grabbed Gregor’s sweatered arm and twisted. She did the same with Charlie’s shirt. “Knock it off. The pair of you. Charlie, there isn’t much time; move to the back of the meat-processing building.”

“We’re both committed; don’t worry about that,” Charlie said. “How will I know the difference between Alex and Vlad?”

“Alex is a woman,” Gregor said. “You might’ve met Vlad before. I’m not sure.”

Denver moved over and joined the huddle. “Well? Are we ready to go?”

“We?” Charlie said. “There is no
we
. I’m doing this on my own. You’ve always known it.”

“I’m coming to make sure you get into that container. Once Gregor attacks, I’ll come in from the other side. Add to the confusion.” Denver glanced at Gregor. “Are you okay with that?”

Gregor raised his left shoulder and pursed his lips. “Fine with me. I’ll bring the other three in.” He looked at Ben and Maria. Both held their respective weapons and peered through the trees. Hardly Special Forces, but it’d do.

Charlie walked over to Maria and said something in her ear. She watched him walk away with a genuine look of sorrow, holding out an arm toward him before letting it drop.

As Charlie passed him, Gregor held out his hand. “Good luck.”

Charlie stopped, looked into Gregor’s eyes, firmly shook his hand, and slowly nodded.