Nicholas Smith - Deliverance

“Help me with these, Rodger,” she said.

She tossed him a rifle. They were both still in their underwear as she stalked back into the other room to check the dressers for clothing, with Rodger in tow. She found plain brown coveralls that looked as though they would fit okay.

“You think he’s going to make it?” Rodger asked as he dressed.

“He’s strong, but he’s been through a lot over the past few days.”

Rodger looked at the ground, shoulders sagging.

“It’ll be okay,” she said. “Come on, let’s get back out there.”

As they walked back into the living area, she heard X talking. “Took you long enough to find me,” he was saying. “It’s too bad, though. If I saw you coming in, then the floaters saw you as well.”

“The floaters?” Rodger asked. “You mean the Sirens?”

X gestured toward the black plastic tarp covering the balcony. Several hazard suits were folded on the floor beside the exit, along with a pair of binoculars. “See for yourself.”

Magnolia and Rodger put on the suits and stepped out onto a balcony covered by a cage of bars like the one that had blocked their way earlier, protecting them from airborne Sirens. She taped the black tarp back in place to seal off the light from the apartment, then turned to look out over the city.

“Holy moly,” Rodger breathed. He stood stock-still, staring through the binos.

Magnolia studied the massive ship docked at a concrete pier stretching out into the dark waters. Several other ships had capsized on the shoreline, their bellies burst open like dead sea animals. But the ship on the pier didn’t seem to have any damage. Just a coat of rust covering most of the hull.

“No way,” Rodger said. “No freaking way…”

“What do you see?” Magnolia asked. Her eyes flitted to the lighthouse where Sirens circled the flashing tower. She nudged Rodger impatiently and held out her hand for the binoculars. He slowly handed them over, still looking out toward the ocean.

Raising them to her visor, she then dialed them in on the flashing lighthouse. The Sirens flapped around the light. There were dozens of them drawn to the beacon and more still coming from the city.

“Do you see what I saw?” Rodger asked.

She lowered the binos to the shoreline where she finally saw the reason for their erratic behavior. Aboard the ship docked on the pier she saw movement. She zoomed in further on a person in heavy metal armor standing at one of the ship’s turrets.

“It can’t be…” she said, gasping.

Rodger looked over, eyes wide. She quickly pushed the binos back into position to scan the ship that appeared to be decked out for the end of the world. Which, she supposed, it technically was. Tarps covered the stern, and rusted sheet metal formed a roof over the middle section, with several lookout towers jutting out at intervals.

She focused on old-world vehicles parked on the deck. Another person emerged at one of the turrets. The figure grabbed a mounted swivel gun and fired a harpoon into the air, skewering one of the Sirens circling the lighthouse through the back. The beast fought for altitude, but the man reeled it in like a fish.

“Who are they…?” Magnolia muttered. She knelt and pulled Rodger down, out of view.

“Are those really people ?” he asked.

Magnolia nodded.

Layla stepped out on the balcony. “X insisted I see this, too. What is he talking about?” She glanced back toward the tarp covering the door, clearly irritated at having to leave Michael, even for a second.

“We’re saved,” Rodger said, his voice low.

Magnolia handed Layla the binoculars. She brought them up and then lowered them a few moments later, silent.

“See, we’re saved,” Rodger said excitedly.

“No,” said a gruff voice behind them. “Get back inside.”

X held the plastic curtain open and gestured for them to return to the apartment. When they were all back inside, he zipped the curtains back up.

“They aren’t here to save us,” X said. “You must trust me on this.”

“Who are they?” Magnolia asked. Her body shivered with excitement, and fear. After all of this time, these were the first humans she had seen in her life besides people she knew from the sky.

“X, who are they?” she entreated.

“Monsters,” X said. “That’s all you need to know.”

He went back to work on Michael without saying another word, Layla joining him at the table. Magnolia and Rodger stayed behind and exchanged a glance. X definitely knew more than he was telling them about these mysterious boat people, and while Magnolia wanted answers she knew the most important thing they needed to focus on right now was saving Commander Everhart.

Jordan stood in the launch bay, surrounded by officers, support staff, technicians, engineers, and militia soldiers. Anyone without an active role in the launch was outside in the crowded corridors. Hundreds of faces—nearly everyone on the ship—tried to get a look at the pods the engineers had pushed through the narrow passages an hour ago.

The captain was looking at those pods now, admiring the quick work of Samson’s team. He might not like the chief engineer, but the man did good work. If only he could learn when to keep his opinions to himself.

“We’re almost in position,” Hunt said in his ear.

“Good.” Jordan walked over to the two groups of men and women preparing for the dive. On the right was a small team of militia soldiers, Sergeant Jenkins among them, donning armor and black hazard suits. Jenkins was a valuable asset to the Hive , but Jordan couldn’t risk sending anyone less experienced to retake Deliverance— and kill Xavier Rodriguez.

Team Phoenix stood beside the pod on the left. Together, they would kill or capture the traitors and then board Deliverance and fly her from Miami to a rendezvous point safely away from the storms.

Samson strode through the crowded room, wearing a combat suit that barely contained his sagging belly. Other than Jenkins, he was the most important man on this mission. They needed the chief engineer to help operate Deliverance , especially if the airship had sustained damage in the storms.

Les Mitchells would assist him and serve as backup in case something happened to the chief engineer. That was the reason Jordan had personally delivered the medicine to Les’ family just hours ago. The Hive needed the electrician, too, even if he was compromised by the lies Ty had fed him.

“Everyone other than the dive teams, clear the room,” Jordan ordered. He grabbed the hilt of his sword while technicians and support staff hurried away from the pods. Both hatches were open, providing a view inside. It would be cramped, but then, the divers wouldn’t be in the pods long.

Sergeant Jenkins and the militia soldiers saluted as Jordan approached. He returned the gesture with a firm salute.

“Today is one of the most important days in the history of the Hive ,” Jordan said. “ Deliverance will help preserve our fragile existence until we can safely return to the surface in the distant future.”

He scanned each face in turn, starting with the divers. Erin, Jennifer, Olah, and Les all stood with straight backs, eyes ahead. It was remarkable how quickly Miss Jenkins had managed to whip them into shape. The young woman had a future on the Hive —or possibly on Deliverance.

To their right were Del Toro, Lore, and Sergeant Jenkins, all of them decked out in bulkier armor than they wore on the ship. All members of the two teams carried automatic rifles, blasters, and combat knives. Samson also had a duty belt around his wide waist, stuffed with tools.