They laughed again. “I don’t think she cares. Besides, she’s a little busy.”
“She’ll want to hear us out,” I said. These people weren’t messing around. They seemed invested, their eyes excited, their postures firm. They were part of Liberty, and would have been preached to about this day for decades. Eclipse had their support, and they’d never give in to my reasoning. I stepped toward the woman, and a thickset bald man punched me in the gut.
I keeled over, gasping for air within my spacesuit, and dropped to my knees. His foot connected with my helmet, sending me backwards. My head struck the floor. My patience had run out. My fingers wrapped around one of the vials secured inside my pocket, and I tugged it free.
The vial was glass and was meant to be smashed open if necessary. Bryson had assured me this would work, but I couldn’t know until I tested it. If it didn’t, we were in big trouble.
I sat up, shielding from an expected blow that didn’t come. I tossed the vial behind their leader, the woman with the gun, and it shattered on the metal floor. They dove away, as if expecting an explosion, but nothing happened.
“What was that supposed to be?” she asked.
“Maybe it’s one of them illegal airborne chemical dealies,” my attacker ever so eloquently said.
I scrambled to my feet as their attention was on the broken glass and grabbed Jade by the arm. “Come on,” I whispered.
The mossy substance was tiny, the size of a thumbprint, but it began to grow as the air nourished its expansion. She increased rapidly, the moss spreading across the room.
“What is this thing?” another man asked. He stepped over to it and glanced back, fear on his face. He didn’t stand a chance. The alien took shape, rising from the moss, and grappled four arms around him. His skin turned scarlet where she touched him, and his eyes turned blood red.
The man ran to one of his allies and bit into her neck. The moss continued to enlarge, and now there were two of the aliens. Everyone was screaming, and I dragged Jade around the mess, somehow staying calm amongst the chaos. One of the red-eyed women caught Jade’s leg, and she let out a scream. We were at the doorway, and I pulled with all my strength, using my free arm to fire at the infected woman. The first bullet didn’t seem to slow her, but the second luckily struck her between the eyes, and she dropped, releasing Jade.
I rushed into the corridor beyond and pressed the doors closed. Someone on the other side was bashing their hands against the metal slab, and I shot the keypad, hoping it would fry the controls. It seemed to work as smoke drifted from the battered electronics.
“That was your secret weapon?” Jade was breathless, panic plastered all over her face.
“It worked, didn’t it?” I sprinted for the central command station.
“How are we ever going to escape?”
I hadn’t thought of that part. “We’ll figure it out.”
Once we passed into the middle hauler, I repeated the action with the keypad, sealing us from the infected humans and the mossy creatures.
The computer room was empty, and we stalked over to it. Eclipse’s voice could be heard coming from the bridge, and I motioned for Jade to go inside and disarm the robots. I risked contact with Holland. “What’s the status?” I spoke so quietly, I wasn’t sure if he heard me for a moment, but he came back loud and clear.
“We’re inside. Dad isn’t here, but most of the others are. About a thousand in total.”
Liberty was willing to sacrifice another thousand humans for her cause. She had to be stopped. With a last glance at Jade seated at the computer, I stormed for the bridge.
Eclipse stood at the viewscreen, commencing a speech.
“Today is the day we take Earth back from the Corporations. Today is the day we learn what Liberty truly means.”
TWENTY-ONE
I stayed out of sight and found Eclipse alone on the bridge of her modified hauler.
“People of Earth, behold your freedom. You are no longer limited to your role among your Corporation, and are free to change your trajectory. Together, we will return this planet to its original glory. The CEOs are being dispatched as we speak. Do not fear the robots at your walls; they are there for your protection. I am not a tyrannical leader. I am Elise Post, but you may know me better as Eclipse. Liberty is here to usher us into a new era, one that benefits your well-being. No more ads, no more endless shifts designed to make the Primaries wealthier while you keep living on nothing. The time has come for people to rule this planet again!”
She paused, probably expecting this to bring a round of applause from the viewers. I couldn’t tell if the crowd was excited or fearful. Change was tough, especially when it was brought about months after an invasion attempt, and with an army of robots preventing your freedom.
“Hawk, we’ve disarmed the shields. Our fleet is approaching,” Varn said into my earpiece.
“Jade, where are we?” I asked, but she didn’t respond, so I tried Holland. “Update.”
“The robots are at the doors. They’re almost in!” If they penetrated the bunker, there was nothing the humans could do to prevent their attack.
“Arlo, I’ve got it!” Jade shouted from the computer room, and it was loud enough to draw Eclipse’s attention. She turned from the viewscreen and clicked off the feed with her PersaTab.
“What is going on?” she asked.
I stepped from the shadows, aiming my gun at her. “It’s over, Eclipse. The robots can’t harm us. Primary City’s shield is down, and a fleet is coming to oppose you. Give up.”
She had the audacity to grin at me. “Arlo Lewis. I should have known you’d be an issue. The Velibar were supposed to make it through that day. I was working with them to facilitate our new
