The Eagle's Last Stand Read online

  What started as amazement drifted into disappointment. Because, of course, the rescue attempt had failed. At least, it looked that way.

  “Did they hurt you?” Sledge asked.

  Courtney made a noise. “They, uh, no. No, it doesn't matter.”

  “I wanted you to see that they're alive and well,” Overseer Drekken said.

  Then something sparked in Courtney's eyes. “Dagos, one, one, zero, one, zero, one, one. That's the frequency of the electrical charges they're using. You'll have to convert it yourself, but maybe—”

  The overseer shoved his metal boot into her gut. Dagos's brow furrowed, and she reached out. “Stop! Leave her alone!”

  Sledge cast his head from side to side. “Courtney, you did good. Don't worry. We'll find a way out. And you're coming with us.”

  Another Anunnaki dragged her off and the overseer crouched to get a closer look at them. In a hushed tone, he said, “As she understands it, you're both going to be probed until she reveals the location of the four Conifers to us. She cares dearly for you both. But I'm sure you knew that, right?”

  “You're a damn coward,” Sledge said, spitting in his direction.

  “A coward? Funny, I've read the data on your governments. Your practices aren't any better than ours. You two are fine examples. How many children were in that Afghanistan village when you called in the airstrike?”

  Dagos's chin fell. So, they knew some of her past. Good for them. She felt the first spark of defeat. “Yeah, I made that call. If I hadn't, I would've been looking at a lot more deaths.”

  “What's the expression you say? Whatever puts you to sleep at night.” The Anunnaki hissed in amusement. “Now, I'll make this easy for you. Where were your teammates going? What sector?”

  They said nothing.

  “Tell me and we won't have to probe you. Surely, you can understand that concept, can't you?”

  Dagos gnawed on her lip. “You better get your probes.”

  “So be it,” Overseer Drekken said, turning to go. For an overseer, he had a surprising talent for getting under her skin. Or maybe she was just at wit's end.

  Sledge pounded his fist against the metal of the cylindrical holding cell and groaned. “What bullshit, huh? We get this far only to...what?”

  The look on Dagos's face must've been a dead give-away that this was far from over.

  “Oh, your tape. That's what you're thinking about, isn't it?”

  She nodded and cleared her throat. “Like I said, a necessity.”

  Mitch must've broadcast her speech by now. Her call to arms for those who believed in the Eagle. For those who hated the Anunnaki. In short order, they'd be receiving some reinforcements. Maybe it had even inspired Frederick's team.

  His face darkened. “Speaking of, when Wilson sacrificed himself, did I hear you ask for his designator?”

  Dagos felt her innards clench. He'd caught that. She felt foolish now for asking, even though tactically it would've been a good move.

  “You did.”

  “I was afraid you'd say that,” he said, pacing around the cell. His forehead creased with heavy lines.

  She shot him a deflective look. “Why?”

  “Do I have to spell that out or are you stringing me along?” His voice rose in anger. Slumping against the wall, he gave a disbelieving snort. “Always thought it odd that they'd rigged those designators to get two people out.”

  There wasn't any good answer to that. He'd somehow figured out her lie about the designators. His face looked like it had aged ten years in a matter of minutes. Seeing him sitting against the wall, her only positive thought was she'd no longer have to worry about hiding her betrayal.

  Seconds plodded by, the air on the verge of smothering her.

  “We do what we have to,” she said, stealing a line from one of her propaganda videos. A new authority filled her voice. “We're not fighting for land or resources. We're fighting for survival.”

  “Yeah if we haven't heard that one a million times...”

  “And yet, what's your counter-point?”

  He recoiled as if she'd spit at him. “My counter-point? We're not having a formal debate here.” Disappointed mingled with hysteria in his words. “Maybe I'm just worried about you. Who you are. Me, I know I'm damaged goods. You're Earth's hero, though. If you become this...person, what does that say about us? What does it mean if kids grow up cheering you, celebrating a holiday around you, when you were willing to do these things?”

  Her face burned and she fought back the onrush of emotions that threatened to break her solidarity. She shook her head. It pained her to say it like this, but she couldn't stop herself. “Maybe you're right. I really don't care. Like that snaker said, it’s what humans do. When the war is won, we can think about rebuilding a better society. Until then...”

  She sensed another presence and registered Overseer Drekken overhead again. “I overheard and I thought you should know—your speech to your fellow humans was inspiring. I almost picked up arms in your name, myself. In fact, at least one hundred and fifty fighters charged our defenses. They were willing to die for your safety. And they all did.”

  21

  Dagos swallowed dryly. All those lives lost in vain. Had they even put up a decent fight? She'd bet everything on the local resistance fighters giving the Anunnaki more than they could chew.

  It occurred to her that Overseer Drekken could be lying to break her spirits. Yet he seemed far too confident to be making it up.

  “Ready to tell me where your teammates went?” the overseer asked.

  Dagos refused to meet his gaze.

  “I'll give you some time to let it sink in,” he said, walking away again.

  She almost expected Sledge to offer some consolatory words. But all he said was, “What a way to go.”

  She didn't know if he was referring to them or the fighters she'd called upon.

  As they waited, Dagos considered their options. Of their gear, she figured their mikes to be the most useful. They still clung to the inside of their collars.

  Relaying a message from inside an Anunnaki prison pit was a non-starter. But, in theory, they still worked. And, at some point, Overseer Drekken would move them to a different area for probing. She might be able to send a short message in that moment. Since the overseer didn't seem to know the location of Frederick's soldiers, maybe they'd found themselves a nice hiding spot and were biding their time. She hoped her speech acted like a stimulant and crystallized a genuine desire to fight Anunnaki in them.

  As the minutes dragged by, the tide of dread in her receded some. For the moment, Sledge's disapproval was the thing keeping her on edge. On some level, she deserved his rancor, yet it haunted her all the same. Amid their impending doom, she thought it the least wrong to see what she could salvage between them.

  “Let's face it, this mission's bigger than either of us. Sacrifices had to be made,” she said with a cautious smile. It dawned on her how calculating that came off. “I sound like a politician, don't I?”

  A dull satisfaction replaced the faraway look in her eyes. “Did I ever tell you how I choose between calling someone by their name and calling someone by their title?”

  She didn't follow.

  He clarified. “I've always personally believed that no matter how much I disliked a superior or thought they were unfit, I'd call them sir or ma'am.”

  “As opposed to...?”

  “As opposed to an insulting nickname. It's just part of being a straight shooter. But if I really like my superior, I call the person by their last name.”

  She saw where he was going with this.

  “So, am I Dagos or ma'am now?”

  “In time, we'll both learn the answer to that,” he said pensively.

  The possibility of losing his loyalty broke new ground. She'd never appreciated how much his support really meant. They lapsed into an uncomfortable silence.

  Half an hour later, the floor began rising beneath them without warning.<
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  Dagos and Sledge tensed. The resonance field ceased. This was the moment she'd longed for. She steadied the mike on her collar, relieved it was still there. “Frequency code: one, one, zero, one, zero, one, one. They took us prisoner.” No doubt the Anunnaki would alter the frequency codes, but that could take up to an hour to kick in properly. Until then, Frederick's men might be able to do some damage. “Repeat. Frequency c—”

  Out of nowhere, a lance-like weapon stabbed at her chest. Heart racing, she reeled back, fully expecting to find her body a bloodied mess. Somehow, she was alive, but her collar and the microphone wire dangled loosely. It must've taken a truly precise warrior to excise an inch off her uniform without gouging her neck.

  Four Anunnaki guards surrounded their prison pit.

  Judging by their exaggerated shoulder plates, which curved into a single rise at the end, elegant, silver torso armor, and the heavy-looking lance-like weapons they wielded, these filled the role of elite warriors. They even wore triangular helmets that covered their faces down to their thin mouths.

  “Sinserian guards,” Overseer Drekken said, noticing her staring. “Have you never seen one?”

  Admittedly, she hadn't.

  “Are the Sinsers here?” she asked. The presence of the twelve leaders of the Anunnaki would've been both a shock and a gift. The United States had never been crazy enough to try and target them directly.

  “Of course not. That's why they sent these four.”

  The Sinserian guards escorted them and the overseer into another pod. The only other person inside was Courtney, still in her dress from before, only sitting on a raised platform. She barely looked up at them. Dagos searched for signs of injury, but couldn't find any. Still, there were other ways to hurt someone.

  The guards walked them to a platform opposite Courtney's and kept their “lances” trained on them as Overseer Drekken's eyes went black. He began typing at invisible buttons. Interfacing. The Anunnaki controlled most of their devices using a command system only they could physically see.

  Suddenly, the guards pulled back their weapons. Dagos reached out only for an intense shock to rattle through her entire body. Snapping her hand back, she realized they were trapped inside a resonance field.

  She looked over to Sledge. To his credit, he'd restricted his seething to himself.

  The overseer lumbered over to Courtney's platform. “Listen up, girl. Every time I ask a question and you refuse to answer, the resonance bubble around the Eagle and her teammate will shrink. What happens when it's too small? Whether we find out depends on whether you give me the right answer. Understand?”

  Courtney said nothing. She looked so unresponsive, her eyes closed even as she remained seated upright. For a fleeting second Dagos feared she'd lost her mind. Finally, she gave a fragile groan.

  “Pretend all you want. I know you're not that weak,” the overseer said, glancing at Dagos and Sledge. “Remember to thank her for any pain you feel.”

  “Yeah right,” Sledge said under his breath.

  “We'll keep it simple. Where is the location of the optical Conifer? The Conifer that can cloak and create holograms.”

  Dagos clenched her fists. “Don't tell them,” she said quietly. “We've been in worse binds.”

  “I don't know about that, ma'am” Sledge said.

  He'd never called her ma'am like that before. Only as a joke. This time, he sounded serious. It was more disturbing than she could've thought. But she had another pressing matter to worry about.

  “I-I don't know,” Courtney stammered. “Please. Don't punish them. Punish me.”

  “Did I hear you correctly?” the overseer asked.

  “I don't know,” Courtney cried.

  “Wrong answer.” The overseer barked something in Nebirian.

  Dagos and Sledge were seated about a foot apart. They scooted together as a precaution. Even then, Dagos felt something brush against her boot. She figured they could survive three, maybe four more rounds of questioning.

  She squeezed her hands together, racking her mind for an option. Instead, it was Courtney who gave an answer.

  “Release Sledge and I'll tell you the location of one of the Conifers.”

  “There's an idea,” from Overseer Drekken. “I don't think we can trust each other, though. You won't know if I really let him go and I won't really know if you gave us the right location.”

  Dagos appreciated Courtney's negotiation attempt, but the Anunnaki was right.

  “Neither of us is in a rush,” Courtney said, sitting up straight. “If we—”

  Without warning, the entire room went black. On instinct, Dagos pushed down her NVGs and activated them. A low-res green chamber filled her view. The black-out must've been the work of Frederick's team. They'd received her SOS. Her speech must've inspired them enough to go against their better judgment.

  She only hoped that since the lights were off, so was the resonance field. “Our vests,” she said to Sledge, also wearing his NVGs.

  “What?”

  As the Anunnaki snarled in Nebirian, she slipped hers off and flung it at one of the guard's kneecap. It was a direct hit and the warrior stumbled forward, teetering off balance. Dagos sprang forward and drove her boot into its other knee. Then she picked up her vest and swung it as hard as she could against the Anunnaki's helmet. That did the trick and it sunk to the ground.

  A second later, she watched Sledge pulled off a similar maneuver in a green blur in the corner of her eye. With a lifespan stretching thousands of years, Anunnaki reaction time was a little longer than a human's. In the seconds the other guards required to activate their thermal vision, Dagos and Sledge picked up lances and raised the heavy blades up to the necks of their enemies. A single thrust severed the two Anunnaki's throats and they wasted into a pair of giant wounded snakes, grasping at the air for life right up until the moment their legs gave out. On the floor, their bodies stiffened.

  One at a time, Dagos kicked off the helmets of the other two and plunged the scepter blades into their elongated skulls.

  “Four down. One to go,” Sledge whispered as they rounded on the overseer, still scrambling to make heads or tails out of the situation. His body jerked as he registered them coming. Despite his unwieldy size, he managed to sidestep away from their swipes.

  Then Dagos gained purchase and thrust the scepter directly at his gut. With a screech, the blade slipped off its armor. The lance's weight dragged at her. Suddenly, she found herself off balance. Shades of green spun around in her NVG as she struggled to keep herself righted.

  At the edge of her vision, the overseer parried Sledge's slash in her direction.

  “Heads up!”

  Her pulse quickened as he barreled at her. On pure reflex, she swatted at his blade. When the lances met, his tilted down at the front and kicked up at the rear in a single fluid motion. With a crack, the end of his lance connected with Overseer Drekken's chin and knocked him out.

  “Nice move,” Sledge said, flipping up his NVGs. A sheen of sweat glistened over his brow.

  “I improvised,” Dagos admitted. “And don't kill the overseer. We might need him.”

  “Those Sinserian guards were overrated.”

  Dagos shrugged. “They were skilled, but I doubt they had any real fighting experience.”

  “Yeah, probably just pranced around a lot.”

  It felt nice to joke with him again. Yet, she could still feel an invisible force separating them, like the resonance field rising around them. Only this wall was between them. Something in his tone told her.

  He'd come around in time or he wouldn't. Suddenly, the lights returned and revealed the corpsified Anunnaki sprawled along the prison capsule floor.

  She looked to Courtney. “Come on, Courtney. The Anunnaki are dead,” she said, walking over to her, her hand outstretched even if she couldn't see her.

  She got up slowly then stopped. “I can't.”

  “What happened? Are you injured?” Sledge asked and s
quinted. “I don't see a resonance field.”

  “There's no more resonance field. The Anunnaki told me this platform is pressure sensitive. The moment all the weight comes off, it unleashes a lethal voltage.”

  “Shit,” Dagos said under her breath. She'd heard of the Anunnaki using these to torment prisoners. It was one of their probing techniques to drive a person mad.

  The implications unfolded in her head.

  “If one of us stands on the platform with you, will you be able to leave?”

  “Let me guess. You want me to do the honors?” Sledge asked as frosty as before.

  She looked at him intently and peeled the designator off her wrist.

  “I'm willing to this time.”

  “Look, everyone knows you're too precious to go. You're worth too damn much on the outside.”

  Her face hardened. “Hell, I can't be worth that much if they're willing to send me on a mission like this. If it's not me, it'll be someone else playing the role of the Eagle.”

  Sledge looked to Courtney then down to her feet. “There's something you should know.”

  Dagos nodded. “Courtney, cover your ears.”

  She frowned. “Are you serious?”

  “Classified stuff sweetie. The less you know, the better.”

  Courtney rolled her eyes, but pressed fists to her ears.

  Sledge continued. “Someone warned me that you'd try to betray everyone.”

  “What?” Dagos's face screwed up in confusion.

  “It was one of those government fellows who won't wear anything but black. Never got his name, but he's the one with the boy named Zacharia. Pulled me aside, warned me that they'd be keeping her on a pressurized panel. And if it came to it, I should expect you to try and make us do the dirty work.”

  “I...” Well, Ham never told her about the pressurized panels, but he wasn't wrong on that last part, was he? “Compartmentalized information?”

  It meant something deeper, though. She thought about all the haphazard elements of this operation. All the things that had gone wrong, all the gear they didn't receive on time. There was one major question to ask—had the Anunnaki sabotaged their flight in? They could ask the overseer when he woke up in a few minutes.