Nicholas Smith - Deliverance

Michael glanced at the wall-mounted monitor, studying the data. The secondary systems were mostly functional, but he was concerned about the hull’s integrity. A few more well-placed lightning hits could send them crashing back to the surface.

“Waiting for your orders, sir,” Timothy said.

Michael nodded. “Fire it up.”

The AI vanished from the room, leaving him alone with Layla and Magnolia. Michael knew they could have used his help belowdecks, but he didn’t want to leave her side.

Magnolia joined him and put her hand on his shoulder. “She’s going to be okay,” she whispered.

Michael could tell by her tone that she wasn’t convinced. The ship vibrated as Timothy brought the engine online. For a few minutes, they waited there in silence.

The hatch opened, and X strode inside. He had trimmed his beard and was wearing black fatigues and a tactical button-down shirt that hung loosely over his lean frame.

“How’s everybody doing?” he asked, his gruff voice almost a bark.

Michael forced a half smile. “Layla’s hanging in there—a real fighter,” he replied. “Are Erin, Les, and Samson still in engineering?”

“Don’t worry, Miles is watching them,” X said. He jerked his chin at Magnolia. “How are you, kid?”

Magnolia shrugged a shoulder. “Alive.”

X then reached forward, hesitated slightly before making contact, and put a hand on Magnolia’s arm. Michael suddenly wondered how long it had been since X touched another human being.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t save Rodger,” he said quietly.

Tears fell from Magnolia’s eyes. She wiped them away quickly but didn’t reply.

A glowing column of light solidified between X and Michael as Timothy’s form took shape. Michael’s stomach dropped when he saw the expression on the AI’s normally calm features.

“Sir, we have a problem.”

Michael cursed. “What now?”

“Sirens,” Timothy replied. “Hundreds of them, all flocking toward the ship.”

Magnolia brushed a bright-blue lock of wet hair from her swollen eyes. “The engine. It must be attracting them the same way they’re attracted to the batteries in our suits.”

“Watch Layla,” Michael said to Magnolia, knowing he had no choice but to act now. He kissed Layla on the cheek. “I love you, and I’ll be right back.”

Layla’s eyelids fluttered, but she remained unconscious.

“You’re with me, X,” Michael said.

They hurried outside and through the corridor toward central command. The passages still smelled like smoke, and stains from the white fire-suppressant foam covered the destroyed stations inside the bridge. Monitors on the central island flashed data.

“Sitrep, Timothy,” Michael said. He made his way over to a secondary monitor.

“Secondary systems are operational, and the engine is online,” Timothy replied.

“Bring up the video feed.”

The monitor on the starboard side of the room came online, and Michael instantly saw what had the AI so concerned. The camera zoomed in on a vortex of Sirens flapping into the sky above what Michael assumed was the ITC building. They nearly blotted out the horizon as they made their way toward Deliverance.

“Get us into the air,” Michael said. He rushed over to the captain’s chair, took a seat, and brought the comm link to his lips.

“Everyone, this is Commander Everhart. Buckle in and prepare for a bumpy ride. We’re leaving Miami.” Although he wanted to be at Layla’s side, her life depended on his staying here and monitoring the flight.

“Mags, take care of Layla for me,” he said, finishing the transmission.

The turbofans clicked on below the ship, and the entire vessel vibrated as it lifted off the field.

“Retracting landing gear,” Timothy said, working through his preflight announcements methodically, with no apparent sense of urgency.

“Just get us out of here!” Michael yelled.

He watched the Sirens on the screen as they approached, their frayed wings and pale naked forms moving ever closer, flapping like huge albino bats.

“Can they get inside?” X asked, taking the chair next to Michael’s.

Timothy nodded from his position next to the central island. “There are multiple areas through which they could access the ship, including the port exhaust conduits, the—”

“Not now, Timothy,” Michael groaned. “Just get us the hell out of here.”

Lightning bloomed across the skyline, backlighting the creatures homing in on the ship. Michael closed his eyes briefly and then looked at the screen, hoping they would be spared from any lightning strikes. So far, they had managed to avoid the worst of the storm.

The Sirens weren’t so lucky. Several cartwheeled to the ground, their blackened carcasses smoking. Deliverance rose into the sky, but if they went much higher, they would be too close to the storm clouds.

“Keep us low and punch it!” Michael said, his voice hoarse from yelling so much.

“Bringing on thrusters three and four,” Timothy said.

A loud clanking sounded, but the ship didn’t lurch forward. The whining that followed told Michael something was wrong, and an alarm confirmed it a moment later.

The Sirens were closing in, having grouped themselves into the V-formation that Michael knew all too well. He could almost hear their high-pitched wails.

“Thrusters three and four are offline,” Timothy said unnecessarily.

Another clank sounded, echoing through the ship as the turbofans kept them hovering. Without thrusters, they would have to go right into the flight path of the Sirens if they wanted to leave Miami. It was either that or use the turbofans to take them into the storm, which was suicide.

“Engage forward thrusters,” Michael said.

“Thrusters one and two are online.”

The turbofans shut off, and the powerful thrusters propelled them away from the stadium and toward the coast. X fastened his harness, and they both watched the screen as Deliverance rose over the ruined buildings and raced toward the oncoming Sirens.

Michael swallowed hard and grabbed the armrests as the hundred-strong flock soared toward the massive airship, traveling at fifty miles an hour on a collision course with the flapping wall of pallid, diseased flesh.

Timothy announced, “Contacts in three, two…”

Michael focused on the screen, watching the beasts in awe. The formation broke at the last second, the creatures fanning out to either side of the ship.

Clank … clank-clank.

The sound of the Sirens crashing into the hull echoed inside the bridge. X let out a chuckle, but a blast of lightning ended it and he followed Michael’s lead, grabbing the armrests.

“Warning, threat level criti—”

Timothy silenced the automated female voice and turned off the Klaxon as they raced over the city, turning away from the shoreline and back the way they had come. The Sirens circled after them, but the airship sped away, leaving them in its exhaust trail.

Deliverance slowly did a 360-degree turn, in the process taking another lightning blast to the starboard hull. A distant boom roared through the passages and into the bridge.

“Timothy, sitrep!” Michael yelled over the noise.

“Fire in compartment six,” he replied. “I am sealing it now.”

Through the chaos, Michael managed to keep his eyes on the screen. They were heading out over the ocean as they continued to turn. In the distance, he glimpsed what had to be the rusty Cazador ship carving through the swells. It was the last thing he saw before the screen and the entire bridge went dark.