Codename: Freedom - Book 5 - Chapter 3

Note: This one could've been a few chapters, but I tied it into one to save you from anymore cliffhangers.

Cheers!

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“Prodos is already making a move,” Bolt said with too much volume due to his excitement.

Drumming his fingers against the table, Rachet straightened himself and informed, “Major Lucius Edwards is right. They can’t lose this event or Vanguard is over for them. With some of the original Genesis participants beginning to unlock rank D psionics, the likelihood of them winning future events is growing less and less likely.”

They watched as three companies left the relative safety of their battalion behind. Blue tinted energy shields clung to them. They dodge most of the psionic bolts fired after them, but for those that hit their targets they ran through.

“What is this? They’re using energy shields like in American Football?” Bolt said, scratching the side of his head.

As he said it, Lucius, Mel, Barrell and the front of their attack force reached the next enemy company that was bunkered down. There were ten Ekseliksi directly in front of them that popped up with every intention of mowing them down with psionic bolts. Half of them wielded silver, rank E bolts, while the rest held angry orange rank F ones.

The moment the squad popped up, Lucius and his men webbed out, increasing their speed instead of slowing. They didn’t bother to dodge but shouldered right through the psionic bolts only to collide with the casters themselves an instant later. The momentum was too much. As bodies were lobbed aside, they just kept going.

The Ekseliksi squad picked themselves up, but they had no time to retaliate. They were in the middle of a psionically powered stampede.

Clicking her tongue, LaLisa lost her ditzy edge and broke things down. “The E-shields they’re using are similar to those now used in American Football except they’re military grade and rated to stop rail-rounds. What’s different here is that Prodos is using E-shields while strengthening their bodies with psionics. It’s not the first use we’ve seen this, but it is the first time it’s been used to scale in this manner.”

“But why?” Bolt objected. “They’re using their psionics with their energy fields. Aren’t they just wasting energy?”

Mia watched the seemingly dense guy with a lightning bold painted across his face glance at LaLisa. He wasn’t as slow as he often came off on stream. Any of the people that had made it to this level in the meta-casting game were not stupid people. He wasn’t as multifaceted as LaLisa, but he did have the explain-it-where-us-normal-people-can-understand-it act down to a science. And most of all, it was authentic. He was teeing LaLisa up for the next question while doing what he did and asking the right questions, no matter how obvious.

LaLisa was ready with a response. “It’s just the opposite. By relying on their E-shields, they can save energy. Psionic strengthening is the most efficient way of using it. The biggest problem they’ll run into is that their E-shields run on batteries. Normally, they can run all day, but the more damage they take, the quicker the battery drains. In football, they can switch out batteries between plays. They don’t have the same luxury. They’re doing a good job dodging more of the psionic bolts than they’re tanking. There’s no way they will last through many more clashes with the enemy.”

“So they’re just trying to get as deep into the tunnel as possible before they have to switch over to their psionics?” Bolt started as they watched Lucius, and his leadership team slow as other men took their turn up front.

“It’s working,” Mia said suddenly, chewing her lip. Oren brought up Lethal Accord and the Real Major first. They were as mobile as could be, armored in Pshields and full-body shielding. Their idea was the same, except they were killing as they went. Compared to Prodos, they were already three Ekseliksi companies behind.

The next screen that popped up had Ebrima Okoro, originally second on the Genesis list. He was leading his Burden Bearers at a slightly faster pace, choosing to knock aside the enemy instead of killing them. His men came up behind him and finished the job.

Theirs was a competition unto itself, but there was one other battalion a step ahead of them both. Brendon Black had been seventh on the Genesis list. Now that he had unlocked rank D psionics, he looked determined to prove that he was number one. His hair was pitch black and he had a tan, ruddy complexion. He was short and stout with the thick neck of a grappler. The man was running at the head of the Forefathers.

Unlike the other frontrunners. Brendon’s entire battalion wasn’t trying to kill the enemy at all. There were no formations or advanced strategies. Even without E-shields, a thousand psionically trained soldiers were running through the tunnel with a single goal in mind. Back up their rank D psionic user to get him to the end as quickly as possible.

They were taking some unnecessary casualties, but this contest was just as essential for the Forefathers as it was for Prodos. They’d go from the second rank battalion to first if they could only win.

“It’s neck and neck,” Mr. Rachet announced, not hiding his astonishment. “They still have a long way to go, but ladies and gentlemen, we have a race!”

“There’s no way Lucius and beat Brendon now that the guy has rank D psionics, can he?” Bolt asked. He wasn’t showing the same partiality because his favorite the Real Major wasn’t a part of the discussion.

“No one has a movement ability like Lucius does,” Mia reminded them.

“But this is rank D psionics we’re talking about.”

“It will likely come down to how far Brendon Black has been able to take his training. He only unlocked rank D three weeks ago,” Mr. Rachet reminded them.

“It doesn’t matter how much training Brendon does. He doesn’t have the push ability,” Mia insisted.

“I’m not so sure about that. It seems we’ll soon find out.”

***

I checked my battery pack. It had dipped under twenty percent, and we still had a third of the way to go. I knew I likely had amongst the highest batteries amongst the three companies. I was simply faster at dodging, and everyone else knew they would eventually be getting off. This train wasn’t designed to go to the end for everyone. Only one of us needed to make it. The rest? They knew what they’d signed up for.

The reality was that this was a simulation. Dying hurt, but that was it. Victoria had difficulty dealing with that reality. It was my turn to bear the responsibility. This was on me. I hadn’t hidden exactly how I thought things would end up. Not one of our men had shied away from it.

I was near the middle of the pack with Mel and Barrell. Our front line collided with our twentieth Ekseliksi company.

“The first E-shield are beginning to falter,” Destiny warned me through my headset.

“Be sure they know and are ready to switch over to psionics,” I commanded.

“Done.” She hesitated before say, “Lucius?”

I noticed her tone. “Yes, drone-head?”

“Almost half of the Ekseliksi numbers have rank E psionics. Are you sure about this? And you know they’re probably going to have a surprise waiting at the finish line.”

“It wouldn’t be any fun if they didn’t.”

“If you say something about pain being fun, I’m going to fly a micro-drone up your nose.”

“Pain fun? What kind of crazy person would say such a thing?”

A phantom image of her appeared a foot from my face with a pixie-sized destiny buffing out her cheeks and blowing in my face in exasperation. Then she was gone.

We made it past the next two companies before our men’s E-shields started failing in mass as we took the last corner. The finish line wasn’t clear because of the terrain even though it was less than a mile away.

“There’s a problem,” Mel called out. He had a squinty-eyed glint as he ran at my side.

Destiny file in the gaps. “There’re no longer any gaps between enemy companies. There’s an entire battalion waiting, and…”

I cleared my throat, as if to say, “Out with it.”

“There are three hundred Ekseliksi lined up in formation blocking the path at the finish line.” Then she sent me a private message. “Statistically, you can’t make it.”

“You know my opinion on statistics, Destiny.”

“She’s not wrong, Lucius,” Victoria said, speaking with me for the first time since the beginning of the event.

“Don’t worry. We still have a few tricks up our sleeves,” I teased.

“The Devs just gave us access to the other battalions’ feeds. Show him Destiny.”

Three different mini-screens showed up in my vision. On the left was the Real Major. He still hadn’t reached the last turn. The second feed showed Ebrima Okoro. It was the same for his battalion, but they were close. Only the last feed with the rank D Brendon Black revealed their real competition. Not only had he reached the last corner, but he was carrying a psionic covered shields in each hand and charging forward at the head of what was left of his battalion.

“Because of the careless approach of the Forefathers, they’ve lost over three hundred men, but they’re even leading us,” Victoria exhorted. “But you’ve seen the last stage of the event. The Burden Bearers and Lethal Accord are close behind. They are also in better shape to face such a force. It’s possible that the slow and steady approach might put them in a better position to win this.

“So tell me, Major Lucius, can you make it?”

“Can?” I chuckled. “It’s a question of how. Watch me, Victoria.”

“Shut up and just do it.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Mel and Barrell weren’t exactly excited about making eye contact with me after the way our conversation had gone, but we were running headlong into the last stretch of enemy laden tunnel. It’s not like they had any place to escape to as I put on a roguish grin.

“Take away their eyes,” I ordered.

As uncomfortable as what was going on between Victoria and I might have been to them, there was no place they’d rather be. Mel’s grin matched mine as he bellowed, “Yes, sir!”

A moment later, a squad of his men that had been following near the middle of the pack the entire time ran to the front. They were shielded by a line of men with psionic shields, covering them.

There were six of them carrying the trunk that had railings on both sides. They’d looked like ushers carrying a casket, but now they’d sat down their burden and had released the lid.

A swarm of drones just larger than micro-drones flew out carrying small orbs. There were dozens of them, and each carried a whole canister of orbs.

After they launched into the air, they didn’t fly forward. Beneath the drones had sat what looked like two grenade launchers. Two of the men that hadn’t been carrying the trunk grabbed the launchers, took a knee, then without anymore delay, shot over the heads of the men guarding them. Two orbs similar to those the drones were carrying lobbed over our front line and into the hiding enemy’s ranks. As soon as they landed, smoke burst from them, filling the area.

It was exactly what the drones had been waiting for. Like a flock of golf ball plundering bumblebees, they whizzed forward, carpet bombing the tunnel as they went. Most of them were smoke charges, but there were several small concussion grenades mixed in to add to the chaos.

As soon as the smoke started filling the area, our headsets filters were activated, and we could see through it as clear as day. It was the same tech St3alth and HandshakeDeath had used during the siege event. It would blind them, but not completely. Those sensitive to psionics could sense the world around them. Especially those of us that had unlocked push or Othisi. It should reduce the accuracy of their bolt casters significantly. At least until we got up close and personal.

The most dangerous rank E users were the ones that wouldn’t be as negatively affected.

“It’s my turn,” Barrell cried before mockingly adding, “Watch me, Lucius.” He’d always been the most obnoxious of the pair.

I wanted to throw my Psword at him.

He sprinted forward with Mel close behind and the majority of their men that remained at our rear. There were only about twenty guys that remained in the back here with me. They weren’t the stragglers. Their job was to guard me while I waited for the right opportunity. Timing would mean everything. Timing and choosing the right angle of approach.

Having a great movement technique could make a huge difference when it came to avoiding random projectiles, but it didn’t make you invincible. My main advantage in this situation was speed. It made me harder to hit, but if I ran into a bolt, or a person for that matter, it could easily be the end of me. Apotho shielding might save me at times, but if I was going fast enough and ran into the wrong thing, I would be like a bug that went splat inside its own exoskeleton.

Even though Victoria was giving me a break, that didn’t mean Destiny was. Brendon Black and his battalion were just soldiering through the tunnel. The worst part was that their pace hadn’t slowed.

***

“The Forefathers have taken the clear lead,” Mr. Rachet announced.

“They’re losing so many people,” Bolt groaned.

LaLisa slapped the table. “Prodos is playing it smart by blinding the enemy.”

“Because they have to,” Mr. Rachet replied smugly. “They only took three hundred people with them and the rest of the battalion won’t reach them in time to help. Yes, the Forefathers are losing men. They’ll likely lose more than the other top battalions combined, but it’s working. Unless something changes, they’ll win this.”

“I’ve changed my mind,” Mia said. “Instead of picking what you wear during our next event, if I win, I want you to sit in during my next interview with Lucius. Except you won’t be a part of the interview. You’ll instead sit in the corner for your punishment.”

It was rare for Mr. Rachet to completely lose his composure, but he choked on a laugh. “You’re cute when you act confident. Fine, but when I win, you wear a dress on our date.”

She gave him a look as if that was a given. “Sure. Now, take a look at Prodos.”

With the blinding smoke, they’d made good progress and could be said to be catching up with the Forefathers, but… “They’re starting to lose people,” he said with a sad grimace.

“And where’s Lucius?”

Mr. Rachet’s eyes narrowed. He was just waiting at the back of the group as Mel and Barrell’s companies fought their way forward. “He’s going to try and make a run for it.”

“The last half mile of the tunnel doesn’t have much smoke,” Bolt said, swallowing hard. “There’s no way. There’s like five hundred Ekseliksi waiting for him.”

Mia inclined her nose at them, before looking away in protest.

***

They all knew that they were likely to experience another simulated death when they signed up for this, but that didn’t make it any easier to watch. The three hundred men with me were like a spearhead, hiding me at its thickest point. Those out front were just trying to make it as far in as possible. They were mostly a distraction. Barrell had taken to the front and was making use of his Pshield refinement belt. He was moving fast, so he still hadn’t gotten overwhelmed. The more of his men fell, the more of a target he became until it was just him and Isamu and three others.

The men behind them didn’t have much better time of it. Mel was at the heart of his running casters with Jerrek right behind him. As soon as Barrell’s position was starting to falter, Mel commanded the guy, “Jerrek, the men are yours.”

The guy howled, firing off rank E bolts with both hands. The crazy casters that followed him did mostly the same.

Then I watched Mel with help from Destiny through a mini screen at the top right of my peripherals. Three months had been enough for him to get a grasp of the rest of the psionic notes he’d been struggling with. Healing was still a challenge, but his psionic shielding was arguably better than mine was.

He didn’t bring anyone with him as he picked up speed and encroached on Barrell’s position. Within seconds they were side by side.

Barrell held out as long as he could. When he sensed his time was almost up, he dashed to the nearest group of hidden Ekseliksi casters and crashed into them. A few of them fell, but there were too many. He tanked a few psionic bolts as he readied his Psword. There were too many coming.

Lunging to the side, he cut his defensive shield and bolstered his blade. It would’ve been just a short sword in anyone else’s hand, but he had the rare talent of being able to extend the psionic energy past the blade’s end another two feet.

Even as bolts crashed in on his now unshielded body, he slashed out.

If they were casting bolts, the enemy wasn’t shielding itself either.

Three Ekseliksi fell before he staggered sideways. He pushed on before the next bolt landed. It caught him in the gut. Through gritted teeth, he used his momentum to lurch through their midst. His blade continued to flash. Even as he was pummeled with four more bolts, he reached the last man and fell toward him with his blade outstretched. He gutted the man before he hit the ground, unmoving.

Mel found himself alone at the point of our spear. The freak wasn’t even rank D, but he continued to run through their bolts with his rank E shielding as if it didn’t matter. As Destiny had said, there was a big difference between the beginning stages of rank E Psionic Power and the peak. He was now passed the middle of the rank and it showed.

He wasn’t left there alone for long. Isamu surged past him. His katana flashed with precision someone moving as fast as he was had no right to have.

It gave Mel a short breather as what was left of our advancing force caught up. For the first time since the event started, our forward movement started to slow.

I prepared myself.

Once Isamu took the front, he had no intention of stepping back. His initial combinations were deliberate, but after a few long moments, his movements were frantic. Desperate. For about fifteen seconds he held back more than a hundred bolts coming in from the front and both flanks as his sword shone. Any energy splash back or bolts he missed he took with his body.

When he reached his end, he spun with his sword dangling at his side. He gave Mel a firm nod before half a dozen bolts struck him in the back.

Jerrek and about thirty others collapsed on Mel’s position, taking a defensive formation.

“Join them,” I order those that had remained with me. We were also being battered from the flanks, but the main group was taking the bulk of the abuse.

I’d tossed my SizzleTech E-Field bangles and was floating just about the ground with Othisi’s push. My timing had to be as perfect as I could make it. What remained of our men were the sole target of the enemy.

“Destiny?”

There was a long moment of silence before her voice blasted my eardrums. “Go!”

The terrain wasn’t designed to make this easy, but I had Destiny. I almost had my training. As long as I could see what I was working with, which Destiny made possible, then I could make it work. There was one other thing that had changed since the last event. I was halfway to rank D, which made me much faster.

I used a slop to build some speed before a surge of energy from my feet launched me to the top of the next ridge that I used as a springboard to rocket around our men that were rushing to join Mel’s defensive formation.

Then I made use of one of the few flaws in the Vanguard Devs’ design. The ground was rocky with countless crags to hide behind, but the walls of the tunnel were mostly smooth on both sides with little obstacles. Once I was up to speed, I hovered up an embankment, using it like a ramp. I had too much of a forward lean for it to feel like rollerblading, skateboarding, or the like, and I wasn’t just riding the wall as far as my momentum could take me. Not only could I push psionic energy from my feet, but any part of my body to correct my trajectory. It gave me the downward and outward force I needed to stick to the wall.

I stayed as low as I could. My speed only increased.

***

“He’s flying,” Bolt screeched.

Mr. Rachet looked at him like he was a moron, ignoring the comment with what he said next. “His push ability works like a hovercraft. He’s going fast enough that he can push against the air and keep himself fairly high on the wall.

“He’s made his move, but how far will he get before they notice him? The Forefathers have almost made it to the three hundred Ekseliksi waiting at the finish line.”

“Negative ten style points for Mr. Rachet,” LaLisa asserted.

“If I lose the bet, you can double that,” he retorted. “But Lucius has eight hundred meters to go, and the terrain clears before the finish line. They’re going to see him coming.

Mia was ready this time. She had an AI calculating his speed which Oren plastered on the screen. “We already know he’s reached a top speed of 84 mph in the past. And that was in a fight where he had limited space to work with. Besides fighting gravity, this time space isn’t a limiting factor.”

When the speedometer showed its first reading, Bolt let out a shrill whistle.

112 mph

His speed was only increasing.

The Real Major and Ebrima Okoro had reached the last stretch of the event, but they were just too far behind to catch up now. The wall across the room became a split screen with Lucius on the left and Brendon Black on the right.

The Forefathers only had about four hundred men left, but the green of Brendon’s psionics shields were going strong. He was using them like rimmed boxing gloves. One was more for defense, while the other was for his overhand right. Even against rank E psionics, he broke the enemy with each swing.

Almost as if to answer their hopes with despair, the hidden Ekseliksi squads on the opposite side of the tunnel saw Lucius coming as he shot past Mel and what was left of their men. Bolts flew.

Mia had her arms crossed over her chest and was scratching at her teeth with a nail. When she caught herself doing it, she gave a side camera a worried expression as if that would excuse it.

His speed seemed to have maxed out around at around 124 mph. It was extremely fast. If he crashed, it was over. She was under no illusions. So when he started to swerve against the wall, her voice caught in her throat. She was half standing while clawing at the underside of the table.

The others were… They didn’t say a word.

Then suddenly, he plummeted. Except, instead of crashing, he floated across the ground toward the opposite wall in a relatively smooth area. His control was incredible. Mia knew his AI was unique. She seemed to have adapted to his abilities and was supplying him with an alternative route.

A bolt came out of nowhere, smacking into his shoulder.

He teetered. A wall of rock was right in front of him. Then he jerked sideways with such speed he seemingly disappeared only to appear on the wall, skirting over the enemy that had gotten off a lucky shot. He made it.

Mia glanced at the screen with Brendon Black only to see he was halfway through the midst of their force. All he had to do was breakthrough and less than fifty feet away was the finish line. And by finish line, they weren’t joking around. There was a thick strip of black and white checkers painted on the floor from one side of the tunnel to the other.

Despite the near catastrophe, Lucius was still gaining ground rapidly. His left arm dangled at his side as he used the other to help create the downward force he needed with his movement ability.

More of the enemy saw him, but he didn’t make the same mistake in trying to cut across the ground. Sticking low on the wall while swerving upward to dodge, it looked like he just might make it. He was about to reach the Ekseliksi’s three hundred men formation when Brendon Black burst through the back line.

The rank D Sergeant First Class reached behind his head with one shield arm to block any incoming bolts. The other he tried to place lower on his back, but instead he just covered his butt. Bolts pelted his middle and upper back, which sent him stumbling, but now of them could pierce his rank D Pshield from his refinement belt.

Lucius had momentum, but the enemy saw him coming.

Three hundred casters, half of which were rank E, took aim at the wall as he shot toward them at a blistering speed.

Mia glanced down just long enough to see the speedometer.

127 mph

They all saw the volley of over a hundred psionic bolts screaming at him. Then as the most psychotic masochist the human race had ever known, Lucius dodged. This time, he didn’t cut across the ground. He swung to the ceiling.

The storm of psionic bolts missed and they watched as he did the closest thing to flying under his own power any of them had ever seen. He glided over the ceiling like a low flying falcon across a glassy lake.

Lucius’s bearing wasn’t straight, which made him harder to hit. That didn’t stop hundreds of Ekseliksi from trying.

Mia glanced at Brendon Black, and her eyes widened. The man was nearing the finish line, but he was obviously exhausted from the experience. It was going to be close.

Lucius swerved to dodge a downpour of bolts, or up-pour in this case. He wasn’t slowing.

The four of them were all on the edge of their seats. LaLisa once again slapped the table.

“He’s going to make it,” Bolt yelped.

Then he started to fall. With one last mighty push of energy, Lucius launched himself toward the finish line. Spinning so that he could get his arms and legs under him, he covered his head with his arms and body with his legs in a fetal position as his silver shielding energy covered his body.

He was closer to the left side of the tunnel as one last massive volley of psionic bolts flew. His speed alone caused most of them to miss, but it wasn’t just a single stray that collided with him by accident. More than thirty struck him within a span of maybe a second.

The four of them shot to their feet, tipping the table over as they did. None of them even noticed.

Lucius shot passed Brendon Black, crossing the finish line first. Not that they noticed for he hit the ground with such force that they couldn’t imagine someone surviving such a collision.

During his initial bellyflop his psionic shield was still active, but as his feet flipped over the rest of his body and he tumbled across the ground, its glow was gone.

The tunnel had been designed for those that finished to enter a side tunnel where a large area was waiting so that they could celebrate. His forward momentum was too much. He was a tumbleweed heading toward a dead end. They watched in horror as he smacked into it with his side in an inverted cartwheel. He just hung there off the ground for a moment like a bug against a windshield before collapsing to the ground.

“Does it count if he’s dead?” Bolt blurted out.

Mr. Rachet followed him by saying, “Was he still alive when he landed is what I want to know.”

As LaLisa grabbed her shoulder, Mia stared intently at the broken form of the person she’d been cheering for. She already met him a few times, which made it very difficult for her to ignore the reality of how torturous the cube system really was.

When the milky white glow of healing psionics started to do its magic, Mia did something she hadn’t done in years during a live stream and cursed.

Oren was quick to confirm, “It’s been cut.” They didn’t have as much buffer as she normally liked, but her producer was the best.

Brendon Black had crossed the finishing line and was even starting to celebrate when his AI must have brough up the feed to Lucius. He’d tossed the shields and marched off with clenched fists, fuming.

It was close to a minute before Lucius got up. Only one of his legs was working, and it wasn’t clear if either one of his arms wasn’t broken. He just hobbled in place for a long moment. The feed between Lucius and their command channel was made available.

“We won?” he asked. What he said was barely discernable.

“Yes,” Victoria replied. Her tone was missing the earlier animosity. “You made it.”

“Will it matter if I go die?”

“Lucius, wait just a few minutes. We’ll be there and—”

“It isn’t against the rules,” Lieutenant Colonel Peter Hinson’s voice cut in. “You passed the finish line alive. Dying now won’t change that.”

“Good.”

They watched as he canceled his healing energy and switched it out for his strengthening aura. Then he started limping back toward the finish line, having to drag himself the entire way. It was hard to even look at him. Both eyes were swollen. The one he was seeing out of was only slightly less swollen than the other. Parts of him were bent in the wrong direction. His head was tilted to one side as if he couldn’t straighten his neck.

When he finally reached his original goal, he must have been delirious for he didn’t just approach the Ekseliksi that had ignored him after he’d reached the finish line, but he unsheathed his sword with his off hand. Psionic energy pushed him into the air so that he hovered there on one functional leg. Then like a spinning top losing steam, he leaned toward the backs of the Ekseliksi enemy and raced towards them.

His blade ran across the back of one of their necks and pierced deep into the heart of another as it spun to face him. The moment he had their attention, they collapsed on him as one.

“He chose to let them kill him instead of suffer through the pain while he waited to heal,” Mr. Rachet said. His professional demeanor returned.

Mia ran her free hand over her face as she plopped down in her chair. LaLisa still had a hold of her other hand which she mindlessly patted. They were both in a daze.