Chapter 78: Sola Anima

Chapter 78: Sola Anima

Theres only one thing we need to determine, and determine tonight, said Major Duffy. How are we handling the Second Wave?

Everybody was gathered in what had come to be called the war chamber, the conference room just large enough for twenty. Hackworth and his command, along with Star Boy, James, and Serenity. The four Lieutenant Colonels in charge of each Battalion were on wall-mounted monitors, while Lt. Colonel Bell who commanded 1st Battalion sat down the table, his face pulled into a sharp expression of focus.

James leaned forward. The Second Wave will be divided by 100, which means were still dealing with thousands of Nem3s across all five boroughs. If we gather everyone together thatll be too many for us to handle.

Star Boy leaned back in his chair. Look, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but I think we have to accept that this ones going to hurt. Say we gathered folks in groups of one hundred a block or so apart. Assign a squad to each group and kill the Nem3 when it appears. Weve got 135 squads in First Group, another 135 in Second Group. Thats 270 groups of hundred, so 27,000 Second Wavers we can cover. But the number is five times that. Thatd mean each squad facing five Nem3s. James? Howd that work out?

Rough. James grimaced. Some squads could tackle it no problem, but wed take serious losses from our weaker groups.

Captain OBrien, the S1, shook his head. Thats assuming we can assign groups of 500 neatly to each intersection. Wed not only need to assign the 200 intersections, but then get folks to move to the right location.

Tricky, said Star Boy.

Major Duffy frowned around the table. Anybody have a better alternative?

We cant bus a hundred thousand people, said Star Boy.

Then lets see what we can do, said Hackworth. Use the Emergency Management database of Second Wavers to get word out. Stokes, you know whom to contact at Notify NYC?

Sure. If theyre still at their post.

Break it down by borough, then provide each battalion with the list of intersections. Each Lt. Colonel will distribute their squads as they deem fit. Fort Hamiltons reported the arrival of eight Apache gunships to go with the sixteen Black Hawks, and three A-10s.

Major Duffys face lit up for the first time since James had met her. Were getting Warthogs?

Three of them. Hackworths smile was grim.

Sorry, said Serenity, not sounding sorry. Whats a Warthog?

The XOs grin was predatory. The Air Forces flying tank. Designed to tear through Soviet tanks during the Cold War. They have seven-barrel, hydraulic-driven gatling gun that fires incendiary rounds with a depleted uranium armor-piercing core, each longer than eleven inches.

Duffys eyes gleamed. The guns so heavy the plane needs to be counterbalanced if its ever removed so they dont tip over. Itll tear through the Nem3s like our Ma Deuces did the Nem2s.

Sounds good to me, said James.

Stokes, lets coordinate the intersections along main avenues, said Hackworth. I want our air support to be able to run straight lines over the enemy.

Got it, said Star Boy. Thats twenty-seven helicopters and airplanes, plus the Killer Eggs. Say an even 30 units of air support. That means each can cover seven intersections. Ill arrange the intersections in a loop so that everyone can just fly a circuit over all of them, meaning new air support should hit each intersection every few seconds.

Get on it, said Hackworth.

Colonel, said OBrian. Im concerned about our operators. Theyve seen a lot of heavy action already without the benefit of military conditioning. Id like to coordinate with Kelly to begin an outreach counseling program to help operators process trauma and loss. If we dont catch this now, were going to start losing people to trauma.

Reach out to Fort Hamilton, said Hackworth. See what clinical psychologists they have on staff. We dont have time to begin any counseling tonight, but lets have some people on site tomorrow to begin helping folks after the Second Wave.

Yes sir.

A knock sounded on the door, which opened to admit Jessica, a tablet in hand, a smear of oil on one cheek, locks of golden hair framing her face where theyd escaped her ponytail.

Apologies for being late. She raised the folder. Got updates. She then stepped aside so three others could follow her in carrying blanket-wrapped bundles. And prototypes to share.

Ooh, said Serenity, rubbing her hands. I love me some prototypes. Do these go brr?

Jessica gave a pained smile and waited as her assistants placed the bundles on the table. Weve now got over six hundred Fabricators working below in teams of nine, with another two thousand across the city hunting for esoteric resources. Were starting factories in the other boroughs as we locate suitable premises, though honestly parking structures are proving ideal. Weve people opening processing stations outside them and are in the process of creating infrastructure that will help us coordinate mass production.

Impressive, said Hackworth.

This will be a game changer in the long run, said Duffy, accepting the breastplate from Baker. Especially as the gear becomes more potent. Defense and offense, mobility, and the ability to harden our bases and create pop-up defenses. Excellent.

Ive one final creation to share. Jessica took up the last bundle. You may recall my mentioning it before alongside the Angel Wing.

She unwrapped the blanket to reveal a tear shaped ivory pendant a foot long. Its tapering end came to a sharp point, and a sphere of black glass was embedded in its head. It looked composite in nature, with hairline gaps running in elegant lines down its length, as if a solid blow could cause it to fall apart into a dozen pieces.

Everybody leaned forward to examine it.

What is it? asked the XO at last.

The Sola Anima, said Jessica. The Solitary Soul.

Is it a weapon? asked Duffy.

I dont think so. Its meant to be bonded to someone with Aeviternum, upon which it will activate. From the basic understanding I intuited, its an assistant of sorts, a companion, a Jessica trailed off. A seed.

The Monitors usage of the same word came back to James, and he fought the urge to shudder. So are you going to bond with it?

No, said Jessica. I thought it fitting if you did.

To Jamess surprise everybody nodded thoughtfully.

Me? Im the highest ranked. It should go to someone who can use the help. A Crimson team leader whos having trouble catching up.

I would disagree, said Jessica. Remember how youre a symbol for all of Blue Light and beyond? It would be excellent marketing if you made the Fabricator video I requested with a Sola Anima by your side.

Yes, said Serenity. One hundred percent. You need to continue rocking the bad-ass vibe. Its part of your mystique.

Colonel?

Hackworth nodded. Agreed. Were going to need you to pull double if not triple duty tomorrow. Any advantage you can get is to our benefit.

And it feels right, doesnt it? Star Boy looked around the table. Bad-ass James Kelly getting the first Sola Anima? Unless you guys think I should get it. Show of hands?

Even Duffy snorted in amusement, and Star Boy pretended to look hurt as he lowered his arm.

Well, all right. James reached out and picked up the ivory pendant. It was lighter than hed expected, but solidly built. Nothing rattled or shook within it. The surface was smooth and glossy like an Apple product, the black hemisphere that emerged from the thickest part at the top barely opaque, so that he could almost peer into its depths. What do I do?

Just invest it with a point of Aeviternum.

Ill have to wait till dawn, then. And thats a point I can barely afford to spend. You sure itll be worth more than a Heavenly Assault?

Im not, said Jessica quietly. But its ranked higher than an Angel Wing in terms of value and cost an astonishing amount of divine diamond to build. Its your choice, but I think its worth the expense.

All right. James reluctantly set it down. Thank you.

Excellent work, Miles. Hackworths tone was sharp and efficient once more. We all have a lot to do to prepare for tomorrows Wave. Major Duffy, coordinate with Hamilton so that we can marry up our operations with their forces. Stokes, the sooner we have our intersections selected and can coordinate with the Emergency Management folks the better. Miles, loop Captain OShea into your production schedule so that we can best distribute your creations tomorrow morning. OBrian, I want you to consolidate our platoons and companies so that were operating at strength tomorrow despite todays losses. Kelly, check in with the operators. The sight of you will bolster their resolve. Baker, you and I will review the plan from the bottom up and ensure we havent overlooked anything. Clear?

Yes sir, they chorused.

Then lets get to work.

Everybody rose. James smiled gratefully to Jessica as she turned to leave, then considered the ivory teardrop on the table before him. What the hell was it? What would it do? How would it help them tomorrow?

In the end, despite the cost, he knew there was no way hed not activate it. His curiosity was just too strong.

So, rising to his feet, he reached out, took up the Sola Anima, and tucked it under his arm.