Synapse Continuum: Alpha Core Saga, #3

DEDICATION

THERE COMES A TIME in a techie's life when we must reflect on what has come before us, revel in the accomplishments and changes we’ve made to better ourselves, and the world around us, and accept that we cannot change the world alone.  It is ever evolving.  The galaxy is a growing unknown.  Nevertheless, we, as dreamers and doers, can make the difference.  We can bring the unknown closer, make it real, translate it for the non-believers and make them see...

We can make a difference.

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This is a work of fiction.  Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s broad and genius imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living, dead, augmented or cybernetic, or any actual event is highly unlikely... and purely coincidental.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

TO CHRIS - MY EVER-vigilant beta reader.  I love that you love my work and I shall strive to continually blow your mind  :)

To Ian and Souza - the overlords of my evil undertones.  If ever the two of you should meet, there will be a negative reality inversion and the earth would be screwed....but the view from space would be awesome.  :)

To Diane - my brainstorming sister.  You’re the one who gave me the initial push, so I thank you for that.  Sushi and mochi helps...  :)

To Jazz - Here’s to the start of a new and wonderful relationship.  Thank you for all of your help and input. 

To my fans - of everyone listed here, you inspire me to write harder, faster and better every single day.  I’m flattered by your sincere words of encouragement and appreciation.  You may never know how much it means to me, just know this series is and always has been for you.

Chapter One

THE GROUND BENEATH Calder’s feet trembled, shrapnel exploding around him, slicing his skin, ripping his focus from the line of men charging ahead of him.  Their relentless firing and the percussion of the cannons behind them shredded his eardrums, sending a high-pitched squeal tearing through his nerves.

Proton mines and ion hover bombs speckled his field of vision, leaving no escape for him.  For any of them.  His thumb rolled across the sequencer on the grip of his rifle, but the LEDs remained dead.  No charge remaining.  Nothing left to defend himself with.  Throwing it to the muddy ground, he felt his feet move, his torso twisting as he dodged bullets and pulse charges, trying to get to his team.

Turning, he saw Cooper, his eyes wide as his fingers tapped at a tablet in his hand, the enemy bearing down on his position.  He could hear commands being shouted somewhere beyond, but the voices and their intent were drowned out by the cacophony of war.

Tucking with his head down, Calder ran toward Cooper.  The muck at his feet setting off his balance, sending him reeling and he fell hard, forcing him to take a mouthful of the swampy water pooling there.  He came up sputtering and choking, the mud and grit dripping into his eyes, momentarily

blinding him.

Base, this is Ghostwolf, where is backup? he shouted, but received no response.  Base?!

The line was dead and again the ground came alive as another round of ion bombs were cast out, showering the area with a charge that sent prickles of pain up his body, setting his teeth on edge, and he could hear himself cry out as if he were watching from afar, but no, he was there.  In the thick of it.

And then he heard it.  The one thing that removed all pain, that removed all sense of reason, and his eyes and ears snapped to an area across the void.  The scream was like a red hot spear through his gut and he saw Sierra crouched behind a tank, bullets and pulses sending debris flying dangerously close to her.  She clutched her head in her empty hands.  She had no weapon.

Sierra! His shout was pointless, there was no way for her to hear him through the chaos that surrounded them and the closer the enemy got to her, the harder it was for him to move through the muck pulling at his feet, as if the dead were holding him back, clinging to his legs. 

Crawling, he saw it, a deadly green flash that threw her bodily into the air, surrounding her with a thick fog of gas and her gasping scream tore through him, and the ensuing shock of it sent him reeling.....

Sitting up with a jolt, Calder inhaled raggedly, clutching the damp sheets in his fingers.  He heard her scream again, sharp and raw, and his mind cleared, his eyes focused, widened, realized where he was, and he swallowed hard against the panic crawling up his spine.

And it was then he realized he was alone.

Where was she?

His infravision kicked in immediately, searching the dark bedroom and he found her scurrying, backing up until she was against the bathroom door, her eyes huge, the terror scored deep across her features.

Unwinding from the sheets, he leapt from the bed and went to her, stopped in front of her, and realized she was still there, in the dream,  clutching at her throat, raking it raw with her nails.

Sierra! he said sharply, loudly, trying to pull her out of the nightmare he now knew they shared.

She began climbing the door, crying out. Searching for an escape.

Sierra! he took her bodily then, threw his arms around her and pulled her to the floor, squeezing her tightly as she fought against him.  Sierra, you’re dreaming.  Wake up!

With one last heart-wrenching scream, she let out a long, tortured breath and turned wide eyes to him.

You’re ok, it was just a nightmare, he said, calming her.

Her eyes searched his, reality finding clarity there and she sputtered and caught her breath.

A nightmare, she said, swallowing, holding a hand to her throat.  Her body trembled and Calder pulled her into him.

Are you OK? he asked, but she pushed away and stood, backing away from him.

I need to get a glass of water, she said, shaking her head, then moved across the dark room.  Her naked form was visible only a moment as she turned on the bathroom light, and then slammed the door.

Calder watched the door for a moment, then stood and tapped the illuminated numbers on his wrist.  Within moments, a groggy voice answered in his ear.

Jordan, first thing tomorrow, I want a neural scan and a tracer done on both of us, Calder whispered, his eyes darting to the bathroom door over his shoulder as he made his way back to the bed.

Why, what’s going on? Jordan asked through a yawn.

Can’t talk about it right now. I have my hunches, but until I do the scans and know what I’m working with, I don’t want to alert Sierra.

Gotcha, ok, so we do scans and see what’s going on.  When you get in, come to lab two, we can work you up there.

Ok, thanks, he said and tapped his ear, disconnecting the call just seconds before Sierra came back into the room.

Who was that? she asked as she approached the bed, a glass in her hand.

Work, it’s nothing, he said casually, getting into bed, flipping back the sheet on her side.

She took a long drink from the glass, eyeing him over the rim skeptically, before she set it on the table and put a knee into the bed.

What did they want?  Was it Cooper? she asked, sitting back on her leg.

No, don’t worry about it, he said, propping himself up on an elbow.

But I heard you mention my name, she said, leaning back against the headboard.  What’s going on?

Calder reached out for her, put a hand on her thigh.  His touch was met with derision and she pushed his hand off her leg and stood from the bed.

Sierra, come back to bed, he pleaded softly. It was nothing. I was asking Jordan about a meeting in the morning.

You called about a meeting, she said, glaring at him, At three in the morning?

Yeah, ok?  I called about a meeting at three in the morning, he fell onto his back and jerked the sheets up to his waist, jamming an arm behind his head under his pillow.

He felt the bed dip and the sheets shifted as she finally got into bed, but she didn’t curl up next to him as she usually did.  She kept her distance.

They lay there in silence for what seemed countless hours until she spoke, her voice quiet, but concerned.

I wished you’d tell me what’s going on, she said.  Nothing like that has ever happened before.  It scares me.

Calder let out a sigh, but he couldn’t respond to that either.

Since their return and the awful events that followed, he’d had quite a few nightmares of his own, and a nagging feeling he was being watched.  He knew he wasn’t being paranoid because the nagging was coming from his augment.  It was an odd pull, as if someone was trying to connect to him, but when he questioned Sierra, she denied having anything to do with it.

He kept himself in check and ran some immediate scans, but they turned up nothing.  Still, he was convinced there was something there, and waking from a dead sleep after just having one of the most horrendous nightmares he’d had in months, and knowing Sierra shared the nightmare with him, only solidified what he knew was happening.

GenMed found them and one way or another, they were going to try to control them both.  The question now was when and to what end?

The CDC had been quietly testing in the areas where parts of their manmade asteroid had fallen and so far they found nothing.  They were able to retrieve the pieces that managed to make it to earth and tests showed no signs of any kind of virus or otherwise harmful elements.  They had also been watching over the area hospitals and clinics, keeping track of odd illnesses, but nothing out of the norm had been reported.

Apparently, whatever the asteroid was carrying had been neutralized when Gage and NORTHCOM destroyed it.  At least they could rest easy knowing Gage’s death wasn’t in vain and his actions helped to delay GenMed’s plan.

Sighing, Calder reached out, pushed an arm beneath Sierra’s shoulders and pulled her to him.  Reluctant at first, she finally loosened and curled into the crook of his arm.

I’m sorry, he said softly, kissing the top of her head.  I’m just worried about you.  Hate that you had a nightmare.

I’m surprised you don’t have them anymore, she said and turned her face up to look at him.  Why don’t you have them anymore?

He shrugged and it tore at him to lie to her.  He couldn’t let her know that he was still having harrowing dreams.  Dreams that had him lying awake at night while she slept soundly beside him.

And he had concerns that kept him on edge daily.  Concerns he wanted to look into in the morning, but he couldn’t tell her what they were.  It was too soon and she was still too fragile, especially after what just happened.

One of his biggest fears was coming true... that he wasn’t sure he could protect her or even save her from what was coming.  And that scared him more than any nightmare ever could.

Chapter Two

JIMMY DEANGELO PEERED through his binoculars and tapped a button with his thumb.

Are you reading this? he whispered, dialing in the focus.  These things could drill down to a speck of dirt on someone’s face at over a mile.  He was sure Calder saw what he was seeing.

Affirmative, Calder’s voice, an angry whisper, sounded in his ear.  Tag him.

Jimmy hit another button and watched as tiny red digits came up in his field of vision.  When the numbers stopped scrolling, he pushed another button, listened for the beep, then dropped the binoculars from his face and rolled onto his back.

Target is marked, he said, stuffing the binoculars into a pack.  ETA to checkpoint, three minutes.  Out.  He secured the flap of his pack and rolled into a crouch. Jogging, he followed the tree line down a ridge, then up a steep incline.  At the apex of the hill, a cement lip led into an industrial runoff.  It had been long abandoned and at the far end, he noted the three vehicles waiting for him, neatly tucked behind the corner of a crumbling viaduct.

Racing down the steep slope of the runoff wall, he slowed himself at the bottom and fell into a jog.  Stephen hopped out of the Humvee nearest him and jogged toward him, taking his pack and other equipment from him as they both ran toward the vehicles.

Sierra sat in the passenger seat of Calder’s rig, a tablet on her lap.  When she looked up and gave him a curt nod, he let out a breath of relief and jumped up into the back seat of the Humvee next to Stephen.

Calder gave the thumbs up over the roof of his rig.  The team belted in and within moments, they were gone, heading back to their headquarters.

Letting his mind wander, Jimmy realized it had been nearly three months since he crawled out of his smoking hole in Partridge Run.  GenMed had gone all out to see that no one survived that night at the cabin.  Not like there was anything left of it after they filled the walls with bullet holes and shrapnel.  But it held up, as best it could.  And so did he.

He and Jordan managed to make it back to the bunker in time to lock down, sealing all entrances, and cutting off any chance for Calder to get back in.  But he was already long gone.  With Sierra kidnapped and his augment in its first full bloom, there was no stopping him from going after her, even after they had dragged him down there the first time.

Jordan, being Jordan, began methodically arranging the shelves in the bunker and then, with Jimmy’s help, did a complete count and made a pile of items that were no longer usable due to expiration.  They had been stuck in the bunker for nearly five days and ended up making the most of some of the food that was on its way out.  And he got to learn a lot about Jordan.

He'd remembered Jordan's brother, Emory.  He'd gone through BASIC the same time Calder had.  The platoon was made up of a bunch of young, eager grunts who’d watched way too many action movies and played one too many war games on their vid systems.  The brass loved newbies like them, amped up and willing to do just about anything to impress them.  Of course, Calder wasn’t like the rest of them and Jimmy saw early on that he stood out.  He and Emory were both smart, and did well on their drills.  Calder was a natural marksman and ranked highest in his class.  Emory wasn’t far behind him, though his short stature and passive nature didn’t go over well with platoon leaders.  In fact, they bullied him quite a bit and Calder defended him more often than not.

Jordan was a lot like his late brother.  Smaller than most, he stood about five foot seven, boasted a slight, lean frame and a mop of dark, unruly hair.  His gray eyes observed everything behind a pair of semi-framed glasses.

And he was smart.  Probably smarter than Emory had ever been, considering he didn’t join the military.  Instead, he used his knowledge of electronics and engineering in other ways.

At his own admission, he’d worked many years as a tech consultant, rewriting broken code and reworking fried PCB boards.  The intricate, ultra-focused work held his wandering attention span.  Considering Jordan was all of maybe twenty-three years old, those years working couldn’t have been many.  And there he was, in the thick of the drama with GenMed.

He’d alluded to the fact that the code he uploaded to Calder’s augment had been a rewritten version of Tsendai’s code, using what he knew of IA and other biotech to fine tune it.  He’d specifically written in the compulsion for the bearer to hate GenMed.  That Calder’s augment had malfunctioned when it was initially installed didn’t stop Jordan from pursuing him.  He’d tried to install the code on the only other living members of Calder’s augmented cohorts, but that hadn’t gone well.  One didn’t take at all and Jordan accepted when the military decommissioned the augment on this particular soldier, they actually did decommission it.  The second person died shortly after the upload and though Jordan was traumatized by the fact that he’d caused the soldier's death, he could not regret what he had done considering the fact that he had a mission of his own.  To avenge his brother’s death at GenMed’s hands.

Jimmy looked over at Jordan then, who sat in the front passenger seat of the Humvee, his elbow out the window as his fingers played across the tablet in his lap.  As Jimmy lay atop that hill with his binoculars earlier, Jordan attached an echo marker to Jonathan Weller, the head of GenMed, and he was now tracking his movements.  Sierra’s thumbs up was in reference to the tiny drone unit she deployed that would work in tandem with the echo marker and send data back to them as needed. 

Since Gage’s death, they’d been laying low, collecting info and planning their next steps before they made any big moves, but things were starting to happen and they all knew time was running out.

Calder was slowly falling into his position as the leader of the team, which he formally named Crewe Tactical Enterprises as his first executive decision, in memory of Gage.

The one thing they lacked under Gage’s guidance, sadly, was structure.  With no official name and no levels of authority, it would have been their ruin.  Having these things now in place, with team members focused and aware of what their jobs entailed, it made all the difference.  Granted, the solemn mood that lingered for weeks after Gage’s memorial didn’t help, but giving them all a structured place to fall back on, did.

As they pulled off the skyway above the city and descended into traffic, Calder spoke over the comms.

Briefing in the think-tank when we get back.  Jimmy, get with Jordan about a data scramble before you come in, his resonant voice said in Jimmy’s ear.

Copy that, Jimmy said and as they took a corner and headed for the parking garage, he leaned toward the front seat and handed Jordan a data stick.  This should be all of it.

Jordan gave a lopsided grin and stuck the stick to the side of his tablet.  His fingers continued to move over the screen and then he turned back to Jimmy, Got it.  Sierra, all info is now in sub server B.

Copy, Sierra said and Jimmy nodded as they turned into the garage and the darkly tinted windows on Calder’s rig slowly went up, hiding her beautiful face.

He was happy to see that Calder finally found someone worthy of him; a woman who was strong enough to stand by him and beautiful enough to make