The sky was packed with heavy gray cloud, as dark as the sea below. At the horizon, ocean and sky blurred together into one bruised line.
To stay perfectly hidden, Wyatt and Blin didn’t fly fast. They skimmed so close to the water that they could taste the salt – but they never cut the surface hard enough to leave a wake.
Earlier, the Free Will had dropped them into a hidden fjord in Storm Bay. From there, they crossed the bay and flew single-file toward the Aurora Plateau.
This rescue had one absolute rule: they could not be seen. If they were detected, even getting the people out wouldn’t guarantee they’d survive the retreat.
That was why Blin had insisted on going with only Wyatt. Two units. Minimal exposure.
Not long after, a thin white line appeared ahead, stretching across the ocean. It thickened as they approached, rising into what looked like a wall of ice.
The Aurora Plateau.
Blin slowed again.
Wyatt sped up.
By plan, Wyatt would scout first and feed Blin a clean route. If Wyatt was exposed, he would draw the pursuit away immediately and keep Blin hidden at any cost.
Wyatt slipped across the Aurora coast without a sound, then sent his report back.
‘I’ve entered the Aurora Plateau. Target distance: 368 kilometers. Phased-array sensors are deployed five hundred meters inland; if we stay under eight meters, we can slip beneath their sweep. Farther in, there are Roarer missile towers. I’ve marked them on the map.’
‘Copy,’ Blin replied. ‘Hold five kilometers of spacing. And slow down – you’re running hot.’
‘Understood.’
Wyatt eased off and released two Shadow Falcons, placing them above his flight path. He streamed everything he and the drones saw directly to Blin.
‘Patrol fighters at two o’clock. If we hold sixty to eighty kilometers an hour, we can pass clean.’
‘Copy.’
…
‘Valley ahead contains Bigfoots. Small human presence, plus engineering bots – around fifty total. I’ve rerouted to be safe.’
‘Copy. Route synced.’
…
‘Possible bunker on the left slope. Avoid.’
…
The deeper they pushed, the denser the defenses became. Radar nests, anti-air missiles, patrol fighters, and watchtowers multiplied between the glaciers. To thread past them, Wyatt had to change course again and again.
It got worse.
From the Shadow Falcons’ high angle, Wyatt saw dozens of frigates patrolling near the target region. The sky above them held floating umbrella shapes – airborne radar units.
Listeners.
Wyatt’s confidence bled away. They weren’t even halfway there yet, and he’d already come close to detection more than once.
‘Canyon ahead – one all-terrain vehicle in motion. Increase altitude,’ Wyatt warned.
‘Copy.’
‘Outpost after the canyon. Evasive move required.’
‘Copy. Marked.’
Wyatt suddenly slowed.
‘Uh… wait.’
Blin matched him at once. ‘What?’
‘Lord Blin,’ Wyatt said, ‘I just thought of a new plan.’
‘Let’s hear it.’
‘That all-terrain vehicle we passed… I think there were two humans inside.’
Wyatt explained quickly.
Blin’s answer came back without hesitation. ‘Good. It costs time, but it’s safer. Do it.’
‘Then wait here. I’ll be back.’
Wyatt turned and returned to the canyon. When he found the vehicle again, it hadn’t gone far. He flew ahead a hundred meters, dropped to the ground, exited stealth mode, and drew both pistols.
The all-terrain vehicle rolled toward him and stopped.
Two men in rugged work gear stared out, stunned and afraid. They clearly hadn’t expected to find a robot in the road, holding guns on them.
Wyatt stepped forward. ‘Out of the vehicle.’
They complied.
‘Hands above your head.’
The man on the right lifted his hands immediately. The man on the left hesitated, using the vehicle’s body as cover while his fingers searched at his waist.
A hot laser round hissed past his ear.
‘Next one won’t miss,’ Wyatt said.
The left man lifted his hands too.
Wyatt searched them. Each carried a communicator and a pistol.
‘Anyone else in the vehicle?’
Both shook their heads.
‘Names?’
‘Rowan Finch,’ the right man said.
‘Buck,’ the left said.
‘Where are you headed?’
‘Outpost Y-47,’ Buck answered.
‘Why?’
‘Garrison duty.’
‘Humans on garrison duty?’
Buck swallowed. ‘General Graham requires every outpost to have at least two humans assigned.’
‘Yes,’ Finch added quickly. ‘That’s true.’
Wyatt stared at them for a beat. ‘You have two choices. You die… or you give me a ride. If you cooperate, I won’t hurt you.’
Finch nodded so hard his neck almost snapped. ‘I choose the second.’
Buck nodded as well.
‘Good start. Get back in.’
They all climbed into the vehicle.
It was large, with two parallel rows of seats in the rear – enough for eight people at full load. The windows were narrow, making it hard to see inside from the outside.
Wyatt liked that.
Several crates were strapped inside. He opened them and checked: mechanical parts and a small amount of food. No robots. No hidden weapons.
‘Turn around. Drive toward the Glimmer Caverns.’
Both men went pale.
Buck blurted, ‘You might as well kill us.’
Finch followed, voice shaking. ‘You’re trying to infiltrate Edean? It’s impossible. Every entrance has thousands of units. Any robot that goes in is checked by Ogen personally. There are watchtowers every five hundred meters around the perimeter, and the sky has -‘
‘I’m not going to Edean,’ Wyatt cut him off. He projected Little White’s coordinates onto the dashboard display. ‘You’re going here.’
That eased them – slightly.
Buck still looked sick. ‘It’s way off our original route. We’ll get inspected.’
‘Then you’d better plan a route and a reason in advance,’ Wyatt said. ‘If we don’t make it, I kill you anyway.’
With no other choice, Buck turned the vehicle around and drove the maglev rig toward the coordinates.
Wyatt pinged Little White: he was on the way, but he’d be roughly two hours late.
It simplified everything. Blin no longer needed to risk moving deeper; he could wait in a safer outer zone. If things went smoothly, they might even drive straight to the coast.
The next stretch was almost too smooth. Wyatt didn’t have to worry about the Listeners or patrol fighters overhead. Avoiding outposts and roving squads was left to Finch and Buck – who knew the local layout far better than Wyatt.
After a while, Finch finally asked the question he’d been holding back.
‘You’re… you’re Wyatt, aren’t you?’
Wyatt’s optics narrowed. ‘How do you know my name?’
‘Everyone’s heard of you,’ Finch said, awe leaking into his voice despite himself. ‘A lot of people in Edean have. I… we actually admire you. Wow. I can’t believe it’s really you.’
‘Don’t try to make friends,’ Wyatt said. ‘We’re enemies.’
Finch sighed. ‘This is all Julian’s fault. If he hadn’t been plotting against Edean, we’d still be allies.’
Wyatt’s voice sharpened. ‘Who told you Lord Julian was plotting against Edean?’
Buck spoke up immediately. ‘It’s a fact. Julian’s substitute tried to assassinate General Graham and take control of Edean. Ogen saved him and killed the attacker. Then, out of revenge, Julian sold Edean’s information to Phantom Forge. He’s worse than Phantom Forge.’
‘Assassination? Revenge?’ Wyatt said. ‘Graham told you that, didn’t he? He’s dead.’
Buck blinked. ‘All the leadership saw it.’
‘Then they’re all dead too,’ Wyatt said.
Buck went quiet.
About two hours later, the all-terrain vehicle reached the coordinates.
Wyatt stepped out and scanned the flat ice, finding nowhere obvious to hide – and then, suddenly, an ice wall shifted aside.
Linneya burst out, shouting Wyatt’s name. She jumped and wrapped her arms around him.
Wyatt patted her back, steadying her.
Then Little White emerged with Morag, supporting him. Finch froze when he saw the old man.
‘Professor Morag?’ Finch blurted. ‘I thought you were -‘
Morag turned his head. ‘Who is that?’
Finch hurried forward and took Morag’s arm. ‘It’s me – Rowan Finch. Your student. Professor… what happened to your eyes?’
Morag paused, then recognition found him. ‘Oh. It’s you. What are you doing out here?’
‘I got kidnapped by Wyatt,’ Finch said – and somehow sounded thrilled about it.
Since they knew each other, Little White released Morag and hugged Wyatt herself. ‘I didn’t expect you’d be the one coming for us.’
‘I didn’t expect any of this either,’ Wyatt said. ‘But we can’t chat. This isn’t safe.’
He pulled open the rear door of the vehicle. ‘Everyone in. Now. We still have a long way to go.’
They piled in fast. The vehicle turned around and headed back the way it came.
Inside, Wyatt updated Blin. Blin praised him enthusiastically and said he’d wait for them in the canyon.
Linneya pressed herself against Wyatt, tracing the signature she’d written on his chest plate not long ago. Her eyes were red.
Wyatt could see how much weight she’d lost in just half a month. Her eyes were swollen and raw from crying. He wanted to ask about Starling and the rest – but he couldn’t bring himself to do it.
Linneya started talking anyway. She began with Pinecone’s death, then the cave escape, then everything that happened until Little White arrived. Halfway through, she broke down, her story looping and fragmenting until Morag filled in the missing pieces.
Wyatt’s optics burned bright red. He wanted to turn around and cut his way back into Edean.
Finch listened with his mouth open. Buck said nothing.
After about an hour, the vehicle had cleared the most heavily fortified zone. Watchtowers and patrols thinned out.
For the first time in days, Wyatt let himself believe they might actually make it.
Then the front of the vehicle gave a soft thump.
The drive died.
It coasted a short distance and stopped.
Buck and Finch exchanged a look, jumped down, and hurried to the hood. The moment they lifted the panel, a plume of white smoke poured out.
‘What’s wrong?’ Wyatt demanded as he climbed out.
‘The thermal box cracked,’ Finch said, panic in his voice. ‘The oxygen generator, the photometric controller, the throttle valve – they’re all frozen. We can’t move.’
‘How?’
‘No idea. It was fine before we left.’
‘Can you fix it?’
‘Probably. We have spare parts in the crates. But it’ll take time.’
‘Then start,’ Wyatt said. ‘Now.’
They dragged a toolbox from the rear and got to work.
Wyatt scanned the open plain and felt unease tighten in his systems. They were on flat ground with no cover. A vehicle sitting here was a beacon.
He returned to the cabin and explained. Little White suggested abandoning the vehicle and having Blin fly in for pickup. Wyatt agreed and contacted Blin.
Blin replied that he was coming.
But they were still more than a hundred kilometers from the canyon, and Blin couldn’t sprint without breaking stealth. Even at his best, he’d need twenty minutes.
Five minutes felt like an hour.
Wyatt left the cabin to check the repairs – and froze.
On the horizon, a long column had appeared, driving straight toward them.
Wyatt switched into stealth mode and slipped behind the vehicle.
It was a mixed formation of sixty to seventy units. Plando Hyenas, Zealots, and Bloodthirsters. Tower Clan Fire Ants, Tyrants, Lightning Hunters, and Doombringers. And at the head of the convoy: another all-terrain vehicle.
Buck and Finch looked like they’d been turned to stone. Wyatt had to shout three times before they moved.
‘Remember what I told you,’ he hissed. ‘Make up an excuse. Get us through.’
He ducked back to the cabin and warned the others. ‘Down. Everyone down. Hide behind the crates.’
They did. Little White shifted boxes to block sightlines; Linneya and Morag folded low behind them.
By the time they finished, the convoy had arrived.
The lead vehicle stopped nearby. Two humans in combat suits jumped out, along with four Avengers.
‘What are you doing here?’ one of the humans demanded.
‘Fixing the vehicle,’ Finch said.
‘Why didn’t you call for assistance?’
‘We… can handle it.’
‘Where were you heading?’
‘Outpost Y-47. We were dispatched to repair the phased-array sensor.’
‘Who assigned you?’
‘Facilities Maintenance. Supervisor Karl.’
‘Give me your ID numbers.’
They did. The man took out a terminal and began checking.
The second human carried an FBZ pulse rifle. He walked to the window, peering inside. ‘What’s in the vehicle?’
‘It’s empty,’ Finch said, his voice trembling. ‘Just parts and maintenance tools.’
The soldier tugged at the door. Locked.
‘Open it,’ he ordered. ‘Let me see.’
Finch’s face drained of color.
And then Buck broke.
He shouted and sprinted toward the convoy.
‘Help! We’re being held hostage! The vehicle’s full of Julian’s remnants – and people wanted by General Graham!’