Erik Otto - Detonation

Many have propelled me. Many others have kept my keel straight. On this journey I am particularly indebted to my wife, Sarah, my father, Herb, and my editor, Tom. A special mention to Lee Reedy for his generous guidance on all things publishing, and to Galin Boyd and Art Snow for turning the ship on design considerations.

My deepest gratitude.

Axels black SUV pulled up in front of the airport hangar. A stencil on the front of the hangar read Albatross Airlines. The name wasnt familiar to him. It must be another shell corporation Nelly had set up.

He glanced in the rearview mirror. New crease lines besieged his eyes, defying his neatly cut hair and clean-shaven face. Yes, he was getting older, but this was something else. The lines were the imprint of months of worry and uncertainty.

He exited the car and opened the trunk, grappling with his voluminous duffel bag and heaving it over his shoulder. Despite the fact that todays action would be mostly airborne, he was glad hed been keeping up his fitness routines in the sanctuary.

He plodded over to the hangar entrance, the bag bouncing on his shoulder. His head swiveled, probing the area. There was no one on the vast plain of the airfield. In fact, the drive into Richmond had been eerily quiet and the airport quieter still. There wasnt a single airplane on the runway, nor had he seen one take off or land since hed arrived.

Axel tapped on his earbud. What happened to all the flights? he asked.

Most have been cancelled today, for various reasons, Nellys baritone voice responded.

And the real reason?

A major offensive against the eastern seaboard is imminent.

Great, Axel said sarcastically. How much time?

Likely hours. Possibly minutes.

The news registered but elicited no emotional response. It was just one more challenge.

The hangar bay door began rolling open. He shifted his trajectory to enter the growing cavity and halted just inside. There were two wheeled droids milling about, but no people. One of the droids was next to a large chopper, presumably doing some kind of diagnostic work. There was also a large fuel tube attached to the side of the chopper. Two jets lined up behind the chopper as well.

A dull glow emanated from the back of the hangar, bewitching the vehicles in an ominous light.

What am I flying? Axel asked.

Its the modified Apache, Nelly responded, and you neednt worry about knowing how to fly it. The flight will be substantially automated. It will be ready in a moment.

Axel dropped the duffel bag and examined the long chassis of the chopper, as if he might find something that the droid couldnt. The glow in the back of the hangar drew his attention. After a few more impatient steps, he decided to explore the source of it. He ducked under the wing of a fighter jet and ambled forward cautiously. Toward the rear of the hangar was a large, cylindrical, glass-encased chamber acting like a massive lantern. Black objects punctuated the interior of the casing.

When closer still, his vision resolved the black objects over the glare of the light. They were large birds, feathers darker than pitch, half the size of a man. There were at least a dozen of them, and their eyes were closed. It was the first time he had seen one of the hybridized creatures up close. There was nothing friendly-looking about them, even when comatose and contained in a secure chamber.

Axel shuddered and wandered away, trying to find something else to distract him while he waited. He best not be idle, or it might allow him to contemplate what was happening to his family. He best not be idle, or it might lead him to reconsider the mission altogether.

He strolled past various boxes and containers, none labeled with anything other than bar codes. His pacing brought him to the accordionned wall that bisected the hangar. He walked over to the only small door on the side of it. Here he could hear some faint musical sounds on the other side, rich in melody. It was a familiar classical song. Was it the Turkish March, or maybe Fur Elise? His knowledge of classical music was spotty at best. But music? Could there actually be a human being on the other side?

He reached down for the door handle. Its locked, Axel, Nelly announced in his ear.

Axel looked up and around, trying to find the camera. Its the EMPRESS project, isnt it?

Yes, and as we discussed, its not for you.

Axel gave a sour look, which he hoped was visible through whatever camera was watching him. Then he reluctantly moved away from the door and back to the chopper.

A few minutes later Axel was airborne, bracing himself against strong g-forces as the helicopter stormed off the ground.

Have you heard anything else from my family? Axel nearly yelled into the mic on his headset.

No. They are still in the tube, out of reach. They should be out shortly.

The chopper quickly reached a cruising altitude of two thousand feet, then lurched forward. The blades cut through the sky northward, toward a line of sporadic clouds scudding across the horizon.

Axels pulse began to quicken. He would only have one chance to extract them, and it would be hard to know what to expect in the way of resistance.

Feeling antsy again, he went back to the cargo bay to strap on his gear while the autopilot maintained control of the craft. Once adorned with a chute, body armor, and a full assortment of weaponry, he returned to the cockpit.

For a moment, when looking down at the quaint towns and villages below, he became contemplative. There were miniscule people moving about, the grass was green, the pools were azure blue, and the roofs were well tiled. There were no outward signs that a catastrophe was imminent. It made the last several months seem like a dream. He wondered if maybe the images he had seen werent realsome hallucination born of his reclusive existence.

It was a fleeting and irrational thought, of course.

Axel, air traffic control has gone silent, Nelly said. I have no more tricks to obscure the true nature of your mission. Be prepared for company.

Only moments later, Axel caught sight of a distant black spot in the sky. It was a small drone, and it came racing at him with lightning speed. When it was close, the Apache automatically launched countermeasures. A fragment of explosive ordinance intersected with the drone and blew out two of its propellers. The drone spun out of control and circled down, rapidly losing altitude.

Another drone came, and a similar scene played out again. This time the countermeasures wholly destroyed it, and then another, and then four at once. The same scene played out again and again. Each time the drones were disabled by the Apaches countermeasures.

Then the drones came, but stayed at a distance. First there were two, then five, then tenhovering all around him, below him and above him.

What are they doing? Axel asked.

They may attack all at once, or they may be waiting until we land, Nelly answered.

Neither alternative seemed desirable.

How far away are we now? Axel asked, feeling more and more anxious.

ETA five minutes.

Axel leaned his head into the cockpit window to try to make out signs of their destination. The massive, four-story public transport tube snaking to the north and south was visible. Near an offshoot to the tube was a small oval shape. It must be the stadium. Not much farther now.

Alarm bells sounded and the radar showed an incoming bogie. It was much larger than the drones. An explosion rocked the chopper, sending it into a brief spin that the automatic pilot managed to recover from.