CHAPTER 51.

Immari Operations Base at Ceuta

Northern Morocco

David stared at the eleven men who stood around the armory room. "Gentlemen, I'm not here to give you a speech. Our cause is lost. But it is just. This base is the gate to h.e.l.l and the world the Immari seek to build. If we destroy it, we can give the people of Europe a fighting chance. However... we are outnumbered, outgunned, and sitting in the heart of enemy territory. We have three things: the element of surprise, the will to fight, and a righteous cause. If we see morning, we will win. Tonight will determine our fate and that of millions of others. Fight hard and don't fear death. There are far worse things in life-one being living a life you aren't proud of."

He nodded to Kamau, who stepped forward and began issuing orders to each man.

Shortly after the tall African finished, the radio in the corner crackled and pierced the silence. "Fire purges everything."

"It's time," David said.

David and Kamau ascended the catwalk with three of their men. The operations center for the base sat at the top of the tower, at the center of the citadel, far away from the walls, safe from any attackers but high enough to see exactly what was going on with a naked eye-or better yet, binoculars. It was smart. The base commanders didn't want to rely on cameras, surveillance, and field reports-they could all fail or be compromised. They wanted to see the fight with their own eyes.

David paused at the landing and clicked the flashlight into the night, sending the signal to the regiments of Berber soldiers waiting beyond the far wall.

When the last flash faded from the light, he resumed his climb to the top, his men following closely behind him. The room at the top of the tower was as he remembered it: a mix of an air traffic control center and the bridge of a battleship. Four operations officers sat at control stations, staring at banks of flat-screen monitors, occasionally typing. A pot of coffee brewed in the corner.

The closest tech saw David, spun around, stood, and saluted nervously as if not quite sure how to handle the unexpected visit. One by one the other three followed suit.

"As you were, gentlemen," David said. "It's been a long day, and as you may have heard, Major Rukin won a great victory in the hills. He's downstairs celebrating, getting what he deserves." David smiled, a truly genuine smile. "Take a break. Join him in the mess. There's food, drink... and the spoils of war. New arrivals." David motioned to his men. "We'll take this shift."

The techs mumbled their thanks and hopped up from their stations. A colonel's orders were the best opening they would get to skip out on a shift.

When the men had left, David's soldiers took their places at the consoles. David looked at the screens suspiciously. "You sure you all know how to work these things?"

"Yes, sir. I worked the day shift for a few months when I was first transferred."

Kamau circled the room, handing each of the soldiers a cup of coffee. He joined David and the two of them stood for a moment, staring into the night. David thought it spoke well of him that he said nothing. After a few minutes, Kamau simply held up his watch: twenty-two hundred hours. David activated his radio. "All stations report." One by one, the men checked in, their voices crackling in David's earpiece. He waited for the last piece of the puzzle to click. The men had taken names from the Trojan War; they had all decided that David's call sign would be Achilles.

"Achilles, Ajax. The Trojans are in the banquet hall. We've begun the feast."

Begun the feast was code for locked them in and deployed the gas.

"Copy, Ajax," David said. He walked out of the command tower and down to the first landing. Again he held the flashlight up and clicked it. By the time he returned to the command center, the explosions along the perimeter had begun. Fire and plumes of smoke rose above the outer wall. The three men at the command station worked the radios and computers.

The screens revealed the scene. Waves of horseback riders besieged the wall. The automatic guns at the towers mowed rows of the riders down, but still they came, charging relentlessly.

A tech turned to David. "Tower Two wants authorization to use the rail gun."

Kamau glanced over at David.

The rail guns would decimate the Berber forces. Authorizing their use, however, would be very convincing to the troops, would prove the base was at risk.

David pointed to the sniper rifle at Kamau's side. "Take them after the first shot."

David walked to the command chair and activated the microphone. "Tower Two, this is Colonel Wells. The major has turned over command to me. Go weapons hot on rail gun delta and fire at will." He deactivated the radio and waited. The rail gun sent a streak of fire into the night and a geyser of earth and blood exploded into the air, leaving a black cloud where horses and soldiers had been a second before. Everything seemed silent for a moment after that. David hoped the Berbers would keep coming. He needed them to.

On the landing below, David heard three shots ring out in rapid succession. The rail gun fell silent.

David clicked the microphone on the control panel again. "Battalions one, two, and three, move into zone one. I repeat, Battalions one, two, and three, this is Ceuta Command, outer wall is at risk, move into zone one and take up position."

Almost immediately, David saw motion in the citadel and the ring beyond. Troops pounded the ground, the inner gate opened, and trucks rushed through it. The Berbers pressed the attack and the battle grew more intense.

"Command, Tower One. Tower Two is down, repeat Tower Two is down."

"Copy, Tower One," one of David's men said. "We're aware. Reinforcements are inbound."

Almost a minute after David's order, the area below the wall was filled with Immari soldiers, almost four thousand of them. This was the moment David had planned, their one opportunity to take the base. His hands shook slightly, and in that moment, he wondered if he could do it. What if he couldn't? There was no turning back now.

The technicians looked back at him, each knowing what came next. Finally, one man quietly said, "Awaiting your order, sir."

Ma.s.s murder. The death of four thousand men-soldiers. Enemy soldiers. Monsters, David told himself. But they couldn't all be monsters. Just people on the other side of this fight, people who had been unlucky enough, whose circ.u.mstance had made them his enemy.

All David had to do was say the words. The tech would push the b.u.t.tons, the mines below the wall would arm, the improvised explosives would detonate, and h.e.l.l would break loose. Thousands of soldiers-people-would die.

"There will be no order," David said.

Shock spread across the men's faces, except for Kamau. His face was a mask that betrayed no emotion.

David stepped forward, to the primary technician's station. "Show me the b.u.t.tons to press." This was his burden to bear; he alone should and would shoulder the responsibility. The man showed him the sequence of commands, and David memorized them. He entered the codes and the ring below the wall exploded into a sea of carnage. Blood seemed to pool like a moat. The radio erupted in calls and one of the techs instantly turned it down.

David activated his radio. "Ajax, Achilles. Outer wall is breached. Crack open the horse."

"Copy, Achilles," the soldier answered.

The screens flashed to the confinement wings. Three of David's soldiers raced through, opening the cells, freeing the captured Berbers, arming them. The fight for the citadel and for Ceuta began now.

"Open the gate," David said. "And make the call."

He slumped into the "captain's chair" and waited. The tech called over his shoulder. "You're on."

"Immari Fleet Alpha, this is Ceuta Command. We are under attack. Repeat, we are under attack. Our outer wall has been breached. Request immediate air support."

"Copy, Ceuta Command. Stand by."

David waited for the words. Sloane was in that fleet, and David knew him-he would command the air a.s.sault himself. For all his faults, Sloane led from the front.

"Ceuta Command, Fleet Alpha. Be advised: we're scrambling air support now. ETA fifteen minutes."

"Copy, Fleet Alpha. ETA fifteen minutes. Ceuta Command out."

When he was sure the channel was closed, he issued his final orders to the techs. "I want you to wait until they're deep in our firing range. Don't take any chances."

"Even if they fire-"

"Even if they fire everything they've got. Wait. And don't position the rail guns until you're ready to fire. Someone on the ground could warn them. You take those helicopters down, and we could change the course of history." He walked over to join Kamau at the door. "It's been an honor, gentlemen. Now we're going to buy you some time."

David reached for the door, but a tech called out. "Sir, we've got incoming-"

"Air?"

"A plague barge. It's a little over a mile out. Inbound from Marbella. They just sent us their docking request and manifest."

David spun to face Kamau. "How could we not know about this?"

He shook his head. "The ships come and go as they please, there's no schedule. They can wait in the harbor to dock for days, so it doesn't matter." He crossed the room and punched the keyboard. The manifest scrolled across the large screen.

David looked around the room. "What's...o...b..ard? Weapons capabilities? And for that matter, what the h.e.l.l is a plague barge?"

Kamau spoke as he worked the computer. "This one's an old cruise ship. Weapons are minimal: two fifty-four-caliber guns on each end. But... they're carrying all the excess troops from the invasion of several cities in southern Spain." He stood. "Almost ten thousand troops-plus new recruits, those that took the Immari pledge. Who knows how many. There could be twenty thousand enemy combatants on board. There would have been devolving on board, but this close to Ceuta... they've already been offloaded."

David rubbed his forehead. "How long 'til it gets here?"

"Five, ten minutes."

There was no choice. Twenty thousand troops, pouring in from the harbor, reinforcing the citadel from the rear. "Hit it," David said. "Whatever it takes. Sink her." He grabbed his gun and raced out the door, and Kamau followed close behind him.

When the shots were fired from the rail guns along the harbor-at an Immari ship-the remaining Immari troops in the citadel would know they had been betrayed. The final battle for Ceuta would start in seconds.

As David and Kamau reached the bottom of the landing, they saw shots launch from the batteries along the harbor. The towering cruise ship exploded, then buckled and burned, floating listlessly like a funeral pyre.

Kosta burst into the room, but this time, he didn't retreat at the sight of Dorian and the woman laying there naked. "Sir, Ceuta is under attack. They've requested air support."

Dorian was up, dressed, and out of the room before the woman even woke up.

CHAPTER 52.

Immari Advance Fleet Alpha

Near Tangier, Morocco

Dorian marched down the cramped corridor. The hatch stood open, revealing the darkened deck. Four helicopters purred on the launch pad. Soldiers stood beside them, waiting for him, ready to fly into battle.

For the first time since he had awoken in that tube in Antarctica, he felt normal. He felt like himself. A soldier going to war. He felt at home.

Sailors poked their heads out of the intersecting pa.s.sageways, hoping to get a glimpse of him-the chairman of the last empire humanity would ever see, the man who had died and arisen, someone more than mortal-a G.o.d or the Devil.

The pitter-patter of bare feet on the iron floor caught his attention and he turned just in time to see Johanna, running full on for him. She jumped and he caught her.

She wrapped her arms around him and kissed him. He stood there, still as stone at first, but slowly he wrapped one, then another arm around her, held her tight, and kissed her back.

Whistles and hollers erupted down the corridor.

Dorian felt himself smile as he set her down. He quickly let it fade as he turned and walked through the hatchway toward the waiting soldiers and helicopters.

Martin opened his eyes. His head was clear. He could think again. Kate was there. He was in a lab, or a hospital. A man leaned over him. Martin knew him. A memory came to him; he had spoken with the man over a videoconference. The doctor was the researcher in China, who had conducted the trials on the Bell. Dr... "Chang," Martin said, his voice raspy.

"How are you feeling?"

"Awful."

He heard Kate laughing, and she stepped closer to him. "At least you know how you're feeling. That's an improvement."

He smiled at Kate. He wondered what she had done to save him. Had she risked her life? He hoped not. It would be a waste. He had so much to tell her, so much she needed to know. "Kate-"

The ship shuddered, and Martin was thrown across the room. He slammed into a steel refrigerator and dark spots crowded his vision.

CHAPTER 53.