Mistrunner 3 - Chapter 44 - Reemergence (Patreon)

In the old world, people had the luxury of solving their problems peacefully. But now? It feels like war is inevitable, and I don’t think humanity is ready for those kinds of stakes.

Patrick Ward

I searched through the compound, which was at least the size of a small city, looking for supplies. I only had so much room in my arsenal implant, and most of that had been reserved for necessities like ration bars, water, and ammunition, which didn’t leave a lot of space for bombs. I had a few – enough to bring down a couple of buildings, certainly – but they weren’t nearly enough for what I had in mind. Fortunately, there was a lot of overlap between ship- and satellite-making materials and the building blocks for explosives. I just had to gather them, then put them together, and finally, deploy the fruits of my labor.

Of course, there were other complications, like the fact that I had no way back to Earth. I had some ideas about how to go about that task, but they would all require me to add a few steps to my plans. For now, though, I would focus on the first step, which was to gather enough supplies that I could bring the lunar base down, with all the aliens inside.

To that end, I stalked through the halls, searching the various storage areas for appropriate materials. The first thing I needed was a catalyst, which I found after only a few hours when I stumbled upon a giant warehouse filled with barrels of liquified Mist. From the files I had stolen, I knew it was extremely volatile in that state – in fact, it was meant to power the satellites’ main weapons, which in turn would be powerful enough to destroy whole cities – so I only had to take a couple of barrels to satisfy the needs of my purpose.

Thankfully, my Explosives Handling ability that came with [Fieldcraft] was all I needed to safely handle the unstable substance. Once I had those two barrels stored snugly in my arsenal implant, I headed to a seldom-used corner of the facility and found an even more isolated storage room, where I removed the barrels and headed back out to find the other materials I needed.

My next goal was something that would ignite the liquified Mist. For that, I had to plunder the parts meant for the ships’ engines. It would require some adjustment on my part to make it work properly, but that was what Improvisation and the oft-ignored Tinkering were for. I wasn’t capable of building things as well as Patrick, but my abilities, especially in conjunction with Explosives Handling, meant that making bombs was well within my wheelhouse.

Next, I needed to create remote detonators. What I had in mind was sophisticated enough that I didn’t want to try to cobble something together. So, I chose to use the much smaller explosives I had in my arsenal implant. I’d have to dismantle them to get what I needed, but that wasn’t such a big deal, considering I’d made them in the first place.

Finally, to give the new bombs a bit more punch, I intended to use some of the BMAP’s incredibly destructive ordnance. This was the most difficult task, because those shells were far more advanced than anything I could ever hope to create. Taking them apart and repurposing their pieces was easier, but only marginally so. Regardless, I’d done it before – albeit in much more appropriate circumstances, and with all the safety gear I could handle – so I didn’t shy away from the task.

Still, as I set about dismantling those shells, my heart pounded out of my chest, and sweat poured down my face. But my hands remained steady as, over the next few hours, I did precisely what I intended to do.

And just like that, I had everything I needed to make a half-dozen demolition charges whose yield was high enough that I couldn’t even calculate how much damage I was going to do. I could only hope that it would prove to be enough to destroy the lunar base. Before I could figure all that out, though, I needed to actually assemble the bombs.

Once again, it took every ounce of focus I could muster, and even then, I had no idea if it would be enough, but over the next eight hours, I managed to put everything together. By the time I’d finished, I had six of the most powerful demolition charges I’d ever seen. I also had one barrel of liquified Mist leftover, but I had plans for that, too.

So, with the first part of my plan done, I took a few hours to rest before embarking on the second task: planting the bombs. This proved significantly easier, but because I had to remain in Stealth the entire time, it took almost an entire day to place the half-dozen charges throughout the compound.  I tried to conceal them as best I could, but I knew that they would eventually be discovered. So, planting the bombs put me on the clock.

Without waiting to rest, I stopped by the warehouse where I’d first entered the compound and picked up the empty barrel I’d left behind, shoving it into my arsenal implant. Thankfully, I had just enough room.

Then, I started in on the third task: securing my exit. I knew good and well that this part of the plan would prove the trickiest. I was well-suited to sneaking around the facility, especially given the passive state of the Pacificians’ defenses. They had no reason to suspect that anyone could – or would – infiltrate their facility, and so, they were anything but alert.

That was soon going to change, and back in Fortune, I had discovered that they were more than capable of defeating me.

So, I had to be careful about fulfilling the parameters of my next task, which would involve me hunting down the compound’s communications array, taking out any technicians inside, and calling for help. Once that was done, I would need to quickly escape the compound before detonating the charges.

And somehow, I would need to survive the ensuing explosion.

Initially, I’d considered trying to hijack one of the ships I’d found in the second hangar. However, I’d decided against it for two major reasons. For one, I had no idea how to fly those ships. Perhaps I could figure it out, but doing so would take time I probably didn’t have. And there was always the possibility that I wouldn’t be able to fly them at all. Again, I could probably get around any locks via my {Mistrunner} abilities, but there was no guarantee.

No - hijacking a ship was a bad idea that had way too many variables, which was why it was my backup plan. I would go down that route if I had to, but only if my first option failed.

So, after planting the bombs in out-of-the-way locations throughout the facility, I headed back to the central command post where I’d stolen the files. The communications hub was located in a completely different room, but it was in the same area. So, I used the same route that I’d used before to infiltrate the area.

When I reached my destination, I noted that there were six technicians and two guards assigned to the communications hub. More than I would’ve liked, but less than I’d expected. The Pacificians’ security really was lax, and rightly so. I’d only infiltrated their facility by mistake, and there were probably only a handful of people in the world who had the skills to do what I intended to do.

Still, I was getting ahead of myself. I had a long way to go before I could start patting myself on the back.

To that end, I stalked forward and planted myself in the corner of the communications hub. It was still much closer than I would have liked, but I only had so many options. There were no convenient air vents or alleys this time, so I had to work with what I had available.

Once I was in place, I crouched down and used Misthack to initiate my infiltration. Overcoming the Pacifician’s defenses was laughably easy, and I managed to bypass them in only a few seconds, which brought up the first Misthack menu:

Misthack Successful. Options:

· Reboot System

· Overcharge

· Disable Cybernetics

· Upload Ghost

I chose the fourth option, which brought up the Ghost menu:

Please Select Deck:

· Assassination

· Infiltration

· Robot Disposal

· Mass Murder

· Annoyances

· Wildcards

I selected the third option, Robot Disposal, which brought up the final menu:

Select Ghost:

· Scramble (XVII)

· Explode (Mk. CXII)

· Mass Disable (Mk. II)

· Cascade (Mk. XXIV)

· Drain (Mk. VII)

I chose the third option, which I’d created specifically for dealing with the Pacificians. Mass Disable wasn’t a terribly potent Ghost. Nor was it complicated. The idea was a blend of Time Bomb and Disable Cybernetics, though with a few tweaks to make them work better against the robotic Pacificians. Its effect was just as the name suggested. Once I used it on a single enemy, it would gestate for a few moments before jumping to another. Then another after that. It had a short range, and the ensuing disability would only last for about forty-five seconds, but for my purposes, it was more than enough to get the job done.

Once I’d uploaded the Mass Disable, I rocked back on my heels to wait for it take effect. I could feel the Mist swirling – only slightly – as it leaped from one Pacifician to the next, and within a minute, every android in the room had been affected. Then, forty-five seconds later, they started to drop. At first, none of them noticed, but by the time the second one fell dormant, they started to react.

Before they could, I pounced.

My goal wasn’t to kill them. Not yet. Instead, I only wanted to stall for time while the Ghost took effect. However, even that wasn’t the easy task I would’ve liked it to be. My first mistake was dismissing the technicians and focusing all of my attention on the guards, and it nearly got my killed when one of them leaped upon my back. I reacted in just enough time to use her momentum to flip her over my shoulder, but it was a close enough call that I knew I couldn’t afford to discount any of them.

The battle that ensued was short and frustrating, and it was all I could do to keep them from calling for reinforcements. Thankfully, with every passing second, my Ghost had time to complete its gestation, and one by one, they fell dormant. Once the last one deactivated, the slaughter began.

With my nano-bladed sword, I hacked at the first android’s neck. It took me three swings to dislodge, but when it fell away, I saw a mixture of flesh, blood, and robotics that I hadn’t expected. Vaguely, I recalled the Pacificians being described as organic robots, but even though I’d fought some of them before, this was the first time I’d encountered the reality of their composition.

The ones back on Earth had been different. They were entirely mechanical, which suggested that they weren’t real Pacifiians. Or perhaps it was because they were lower-ranked. Whatever the case, I didn’t have time to establish any theories. The moment I’d commenced my attack, the clock had started ticking. If I wanted to survive, I needed to get a move on.

To that end, I crossed to the communications apparatus, jacked into the terminal via my personal link, and used Mistwalk to infiltrate the system. In less than a minute, I had complete access, which I used in conjunction with Secure Connection to contact Patrick.

“Mira? I’ve been trying to contact you for the past –”

“No time to explain,” I said, interrupting him before he could even ask the obvious question. “Long story short, I’m on the moon, and I need a pickup. Can you do it?”

“You took the Leviathan. I don’t have a ship to –”

“Shit,” I muttered. I had completely forgotten that I’d left the ship hidden outside of the Ithid settlement. It was only a few hundred miles from Fortune, but without a ship, Patrick would have to use more mundane transportation. The result was that, even if he could immediately find a viable ride, it would be hours before he managed to complete the trip. My heart sank. “I didn’t think of that.”

“I can make it work, Mira. Just give me –”

“No time,” I repeated. “I’m about to blow this base up, and I don’t think I can wait around for a few more hours.”

It was true. If I’d thought of the issue beforehand…well, even then, I’d have had to disable the Pacificians in the communications hub. As such, there was no way I could have made it work.

“Okay,” I said. “I think I might have another plan. But if I don’t get in touch with you in the next few hours, I need you to come get me, okay? I don’t know if I can survive that long, but…well, just come get me, okay?”

“The moon is a pretty big place, Mira…”

“Just start at the newest crater and expand your search from there.”

“Crater? Mira, how big of an explosion are you going to make?”

“Honestly, I’m not sure. Big, though. Really big.”

It would have to be, considering the size of the compound. But given how much liquified Mist I’d used, there was every chance that I might’ve overdone it a little.

“Look…in case I don’t make it…”

“Mira…”

“I love you, Pick,” I said. There was so much more that I wanted to say, but I just didn’t have the time to do so. And even if I had hours, I probably wouldn’t have known what to say. For better or worse, talking about my feelings had never been one of my talents. “I just love you, and I’m going to do everything I can to make it through this.”

“I…I love you, too,” he said. “Just…just survive, Mira. Just survive.”

I could tell that he wanted to say more as well. Unlike me, he we eloquent enough to do so. But the time constraints hadn’t faded.

“I will. I’ll see you soon.”

“Yeah. See you later.”

Then, I cut the feed. For a long moment, I just stood there staring ahead, hoping against hope that I hadn’t just spoken my last words to Patrick. Dying was one thing. I was prepared for that. But I wasn’t sure if he could handle losing me, and even if he could, he’d end up miserable. That was gratifying, after a fashion, but it also shoved the weight of responsibility onto my shoulders.

I needed to survive. Not for my own good, but for his mental well-being.

With that resolution in mind, I made another call, this time to someone I really didn’t want to speak to.

When it went through, I said, “Before you say anything, I just want you to know that I really didn’t want to do this. But if you can come through for me here, I’m in. I’ll kill all the aliens you want me to kill.”

“Such a turnaround, Miss Braddock,” said Alistaris. “And unless I’m reading this incorrectly, you’re contacting me from the moon? I’m sure there’s a story behind that.”

“There is,” I said. “But I don’t have time. What I need from you is for you to come pick me up and get me back to Earth. I know you have the means to smuggle me past the quarantine. In return, I’ll join your little party. Deal?”

He must have sensed my urgency, because he didn’t ask any other questions before saying, “Deal.”

Then, I told him my plan. His tone told me that he was skeptical it could work, but he went along with it anyway. Perhaps, because I was expendable, and even if I didn’t survive, I would still take out a group whose philosophy clearly ran counter to his.

Which was a bit suspicious, given the chain of events, but I didn’t have time to put the pieces together. Instead, I pushed those thoughts to the back of my mind and focused on finishing my self-imposed mission.

Oh, and trying to survive, of course. That was a priority, too.

Once I had an understanding with Alistaris, I cut the communication and reentered Stealth. It was just in time, too, because a moment later, a pair of guards rushed into the room. I used the distraction of them finding the bodies to exit the hub before quickly retracing my steps to the hangar containing the half-assembled ships. By that point, the place was swarming with armed Pacificians.

More importantly, I saw more than a few drones that were equipped with incredibly potent sensors. I knew from past experience that, if they came within range, even my Stealth ability wouldn’t allow me to avoid detection.

Fortunately, I had ways around that.

So, for the next hour, I slowly made my way through the hanger. Along the way, I dodged drones and avoided the warriors. The drones I couldn’t avoid soon fell victim to my Scramble Ghost, which, as the name implied, briefly blocked their sensory capabilities. Usually, I used it on cameras, but it was just as useful against surveillance drones.

Eventually, I reached the hall, which only made avoiding detection that much more difficult. With the narrow confines of the corridor combined with the swarming Pacificians, I had more than a few close calls before I finally reached the secondary hangar. There, I saw my way out.

The ships were blocky and looked anything but aerodynamic, which suggested they were intended only for space travel. But for my purposes, they would do just fine. The only issue was that they were surrounded by warriors.

My first instinct was to simply upload Time Bomb and wait for them all to die. But they were a little too spread out for that to work very well. Besides, with the base on high alert, it was only a matter of time before the Pacificians found my bombs. If that happened, my entire plan would be for naught. No – I needed to get out, and in a hurry. Otherwise, all my effort would have been for nothing.

So, after marking a route through the hangar, I took a deep breath, then set off. Even if everything went according to my plans – which I knew was extremely unlikely – I was in for a difficult road.

What was new, right?

By that point, being in mortal danger was almost normal for me.