Dawn of the Void

Chapter 74: New Haven

The command center was tense, filled with admin making calls, connecting different units, coordinating forces, overseeing their two Groups and working on bringing them home.

James crossed the ballroom to where the ASOCC was located. It had been mightily augmented these past few weeks. Monitors on walls, triple the workstations, all manner of new gear. Over thirty-five people were at work, and Hackworth stood in the center of it all, hands on hips, frowning at what he saw.

James scanned the walls. Drones provided aerial coverage of multiple locations. A bus convoy driving smoothly along a highway. The multiple pileups along the 87. One particularly large screen showed all of NYC covered in moving icons, with each hive demon symbol picked out on malevolent crimson.

Colonel.

Hackworth looked over. Kelly. Good. We need to do an after-action review. Duffy -

Colonel, can you step aside for a moment?

Hackworth paused, considered Kelly, then nodded. Sure thing.

They stepped out through a side door. James cast around, led the colonel down the hall and into a small business room, a number of public terminals available to hotel guests. He waited for Hackworth to enter and closed the door.

Good work out there, said Hackworth, tone neutral.

You know were fucked.

What I know is that weve got our work cut out for us.

Tomorrow were facing thousands of Nem3s. We cant put that many people on buses.

We knew wed have to adjust after learning what were up against -

What were up against, Colonel, is James sought the right word. Were fucked.

Thats not a constructive assessment, Master Sergeant. Hackworths tone grew terse. We need to make the most of the next twenty-four hours -

For crying out loud, Hackworth! James had to resist the urge to hurl a computer monitor aside. Talk to me straight here. Just admit it. Between you and me. Nobody else listening in. Just quit the pep talking and constructive thinking for a second and look me in the eyes. James felt helpless before his own horror. Were fucked.

Hackworth sighed and rubbed at one eye. I cant do what youre asking for, James. Im career military. Ill never admit defeat.

James felt the strength go out of him and sat heavily in one of the chairs. I dont see how we make this one right. Despite everything weve done. We didnt do enough. If we gather everyone for the Second Wave into one place, well be facing thousands of them all at once. Theyve got range on those harpoons, and it takes multiple hits from M20s to drop them. But say we do. Say we deal with the Second Wave. Even the Third. How are we going to deal with a hundred thousand of them come the Fourth Wave?

Hackworths expression softened. Youve been working under a fallacy, James. We cant.

James looked up.

We couldnt have saved everyone if the Nem2s had been interested in fighting. Our one hope was that the Nem3s would be the same, interested only in getting to the hives, but that was always a long shot.

So you figured this out ahead of time?

I hoped for the best-case scenario but prepared myself for the worst. Whats the worst? Humanity taking a hit. Millions more dead. We cant devise the perfect answer for every wave. We can only do our human best. And thats what I aim to do now.

James grimaced and rubbed at his temples.

I understand where youre coming from, James. Its something I realized only a week ago myself. This system were working with, it seems designed to ramp us up as long as we play ball. But the pitfall is to think that if we play ball we can stay ahead of the game. We can nullify whatever the system throws at us. But thats not true. Even with Angel Wings and Fabricators and Blue Light and national organization its nowhere written it will be enough. Nem3 is the truth of that.

James felt his anger beating within him like an old hammer pounding a sheet of iron. I just want to find out who or what is behind all this and tear its throat out.

We all do. But seeing as thats beyond us right now, we can do the next best thing, and thats deal with these new waves. Now. Are you ready to think things through? We dont have time to waste.

Yeah, sighed James. He stood up. Im ready.

* * *

New facts came to light quickly as the command group gathered for the review.

Hold up, said Star Boy, scanning his tablet. You guys see whats happening in New Haven?

All conversation stopped. Star Boy flicked his screen onto the conference room wall monitor, and immediately a shakily held hand recording on an Instagram video reel appeared. High in the air hung a demonic symbol, wreathed as always in purple flame, and reaching up to it from the heart of the city was a column of black fire, easily some five or six yards tall, looking slender at this distance, a reverse waterfall of flame.

Star Boy was searching and pulled up another video. This ones Plano, Texas.

Again another demonic symbol appeared, the sound of a woman sobbing in the background as she held her phone up, a column of black flame spearing up into it.

The XO, Baker, was shaking his head. Were not seeing that here in New York. Are we?

No. Unless it started now, said James.

Star Boy flicked through a bunch of live drone feeds that were patrolling the city. They showed the demon symbols, burning yes, but not being fed black flames.

Were the hives in Plano and New Haven cleared? asked Duffy.

No, said Star Boy, turning to his laptop. There were two hundred and seventeen symbols registered across the country. Just over half of them were cleared. Tampa and New Haven werent.

Serenity shook her head. This is happening to the other hundred or so?

Lets see. Faster to check social media then wait for official reports. Star Boy did a series of quick searches. Two in Tulsa. One in Pittsburgh. One in Lincoln. Four in Columbus. Three in Nashville. One in Buffalo.

Everybody watched in stunned silence as Star Boy kept pulling up new feeds, new recordings.

Each and every one showed the same: a river of black fire flowing up into the symbol.

The black gems, said James. They werent cleared. They must be doing this.

So, what are we looking at? asked Hackworth. Is that human soul energy flowing into the symbols?

Nobody answered till Star Boy sat back. Look, this is just guesswork, but clearly the Nem2s were building toward something, right? Were looking at it. They collected thousands of people, stole their energy, turned their bodies into goo. Why? What are these symbols for? Well, we know were counting down toward these Pits being opened. So maybe what were looking at is the process of creating Pits. Maybe each symbol marks the possible location of where one will be created.

Shit, said Baker.

James leaned forward. Whats happening on the blocks themselves?

Star Boy frowned. Not finding any recordings of that yet. Apparently, nobodys volunteering to get in close enough.

Well get that intel soon enough, said Hackworth, his tone projecting confidence. What we need to work on are our plans for tomorrow. Weve everyone in the Second Wave on standby waiting for instructions. We need to figure out what were going to tell them. Thoughts?

James stood up. We cant decide anything without knowing what the enemys up to. Its less than a hundred miles to New Haven. Ill take a Wing and be there in less than an hour.

Major Duffy frowned at him. In that hours time well have reports flooding in from every agency out there. No sense in your going yourself.

Plus youre low on just about everything, hon, said Serenity. Aeviternum, divine power. What are we going to do if we run into trouble?

The Wing can handle it, and I wont engage. If I stay high enough no Nem3 can bother me.

Youre needed here, said Duffy flatly, her gaze hard. We can send any operator out to take a look.

No, said James, not giving a damn if he was breaking military convention by gainsaying a major. I want to see it with my own eyes. I want to understand whats going on. Ive got the highest Arete out there. Theres a chance Ill see and understand things others will miss.

The XO scowled. Sergeant Major, you are way out of line -

James cut him off. Not talking to you, Baker.

The XOs face darkened. Sergeant Major -

Fine. Hackwells voice cut across the conversation. If you feel like you need to see it for yourself, Ill allow it. He held Jamess gaze. But I want you back within two hours. Take no risks. Eyeball it and return. Am I clear?

Yes colonel.

Serenity stood up. Guess were heading out now?

No, said James. I need to do this one alone.

Confusion flickered across her face, then anger. What the fuck, James?

Cant explain it. Ill be back soon. And he strode out, moving with purpose, ignoring Serenitys outraged glare.

He descended into the parking garage, ignored queries from other operators, avoided looking in Jessicas direction, and marched over to the Angel Wings. More had returned, and he picked one at random, moving with mechanical efficiency. Sat, connected with the Helm, and then willed the craft to rise, turn, and smoothly glide over the cement floor and up the ramp.

He burst out into the street and quickly strained for altitude. The Wing couldnt simply climb in a vertical column, but needed to move forward as it did so, so that he flew forward and up, ever up, till he rose above the rooftops, higher and higher, fifty, sixty yards above the streets below, and then shot north across Brooklyn.

James didnt think as he flew. His mind was blank, like a white board wiped clean. All he felt was a deep and personal sense of outrage. It felt good to moving, to be acting. The very thought of sitting through another meeting made him want to scream. He was aware on some distant level that he was being bloody-minded, that he could have taken all of Crimson Hydra, could have tried to explain himself better.

His Arete was too damn high for him to pretend otherwise.

But this felt right.

The arrival of the Nem3s had started something else, something huge, and he needed to know what. He needed to see it directly. Hearing it from a report, even a video recording, wasnt enough.

Queens rolled by beneath him. All he had to do was follow the coastline and hed hit New Haven. He crossed over Williamsburg with its reputation for funky hipsters and alternate lifestyles. Long Island City with its warehouses and brand-new condo towers that rivalled Manhattan for height. Over Astoria, and then finally hit the East River, broad and swollen this far north. Flew over Rikers Island, then curved right to follow the coast, kept going till the huge Long Island Sound stretched out before him, glittering in the afternoon sunlight.

The Wing flew smoothly, elegantly, defying the wind, carrying him at an even fifty-yard elevation. The beauty and wonder of flight didnt touch him. His gaze was on the horizon, the point along the coast where New Haven would appear. Towns scrolled by to his left. He didnt know their names, didnt care.

Beaches, gulfs, river mouths, parks, condos, harbors, shipyards.

On and on he flew, until at last the urban buildup on his left thickened. Urban sprawl meant it was impossible to tell where one city ended and the other began, but he didnt have to worry.

Because there, inland a ways, was the demonic symbol, flying high in the air, burning and brilliant even in the sunshine. James cut over the coast, saw a bay form just up ahead, the reason no doubt for New Havens being there. He flew over suburbs, parks, avenues, commercial areas, a river. A huge rail station appeared below along the coastline, massive warehouses with flat roof tops, an IKEA.

He slowed as he drew closer. The symbol hung right over the center of the town, perhaps a quart of a mile inland from the bay and its wharves.

And there it was: the river of black fire flowing up to pour into the symbols base.

James drifted closer. He was perhaps a couple of hundred yards away. The fire splashed against the iron underside of the symbol but was soaked right in. Nothing dissipated into the air around it.

Directly below was a dome of shadows. It encompassed the hive area, three blocks or so a side, the peak of the dome some forty or so yards tall. But not made of the black flame that speared up into the symbol; this was more of the magical darkness that had blocked the entrance to the flesh fortress, a swirling, oily mass that was utterly opaque. The black fire column burst free from the apex of the dome, causing the shadows there to swirl and ripple but not allowing him to peer inside.

James willed the Wing higher. He flew in a slow curve, gaining altitude, till at last he was level with the symbol itself, some hundred and fifty yards high. He studied New Haven below him. From this height it seemed almost normal. But plumes of smoke rose from different parts of the town, and a building on a university campus in the northern half of the city was on fire.

Why hadnt they cleared their symbol? Had they lacked the organization? Had there just been enough ranking citizens to handle the Nem2s? Not enough of a military presence to outfit them with powerful enough guns?

No matter. It was too late now.

Scanning below he saw a Nem3 loping along an avenue, hunched over and huge, its machete-bladed arms swinging from side to side as it went.

Hatred twisted Jamess gut, and he considered divebombing it.

But no. He forced himself to hold back, and a moment later saw it burst into a sprint, leap, and plunge into the black dome.

Scanning now, James saw more of the Nem3s. They were coming from all directions and converging on the hive, unconcerned, unmolested. Now that he was looking for them, he couldnt miss their huge forms barreling up avenues and leaping along, swarming in like the Nem2s had before them.

James thumbed his radio, then released it. He was way out of range.

So he just sat there, feeling the last of his divine power pool running out, knowing hed have to tap the Wings Aeviternum reservoir to get home. But he couldnt leave just yet.

He had to take this in.

Was Star Boy right? Was this a precursor to a Pit forming?

James summoned the countdown:

70 Days till Pits Open

The sheer amount of time still to go weighed on him like a lead jacket.

Fuck you, he hissed, then stared over at the demonic symbol. Fuck you and your bullshit system and your count downs and leading us by the nose. I dont know how, but Im going to figure out a way to destroy you. All of you. You made the wrong fucking move coming here.

For a second nothing happened, and then a figure emerged from the side of the symbol and began to fly smoothly toward him.