Haywire

Chapter One

Artemis! Thanatos’s voice shook as it burst through the radio of her heavy starfighter, the fearful timbre so unlike him. Artemis, where are you?

I’m on my way to Crucible, Artemis replied. The system is secure and swept clean. I’m heading to you now.

Screams and yells crackled over the comm channel in static-filled bursts, making her wince. She’d anticipated hearing the death rattle of the Hezrin, but the throats making those horrible sounds weren’t alien. They were humans. Titans. Apprehension churned in her stomach like a thunderhead.

Thanatos, are you there?

More distant screams blasted from her radio, and beneath that her commander panted like a dog that’d been run until its heart was bursting. Coming…undone, he finally replied, the words strained, breathless. Falling apart.

In the hundred years she’d served beside Thanatos, never had he sounded so defeated. He’d been her rock through every battle, the one Titan who’d never stumbled. Her heart shot into her throat, lodging in her windpipe. They were too close to fail now, too strong, too sure. He had to stand. Her hands shook as she guided the heavy fighter toward the Hezrin homeworld and pushed the throttle all the way forward.

Stay strong. I’m coming.

Crucible was a smoking ruin as she approached. Thanatos had glassed most of the planet from orbit before he’d taken his Titans down for the final battle, and craters pockmarked the alien world in cruel gouges. It was a terrible sight, one she’d long desired to see. The devastation that greeted her when she landed at the palace was astounding. Every wall was broken, and not a single fortification stood. Smoke rose from the sprawling palace like a dying dragon that had been run through. Rubble littered the landing area, as did the ships the Titans had landed in, but she managed to find a space close to the entrance hangar clear enough to set down.

When she opened the cockpit and exited the fighter, wind whistled in sharp, high notes as it blew past miles of sundered buildings and lifeless bodies. The crackle of fires and warble of distant alarms came and went depending on how the breeze shifted through the destruction, echoes of the ruin that had so recently rained down. No animals cried out and no insects droned.

From the dark recesses of the palace hanger Artemis heard Thanatos laugh. They’d spent too long together for her to not recognize the sound of him instantly, but the coldness of the laugh, the cruelty of it, was something she’d never heard from him before.

The Hezrin th-thought to bring us d-down, he said from the shadows, a strange mechanical tick in his voice like a broken cog clicking uselessly in place.

There was too little light and too much distance for her to see him clearly, but he appeared stooped. Beside him were other Titans, all of them hunched as well. A tremor ran through their collected bodies, their armor shifting and pulsing in odd patterns.Without thinking she took a step backward. What happened, Thanatos? What’s wrong?

He took a faltering step forward, as did the Titans next to him. Wrong? To the-the contrary, Artemis. We are now greater than we ever were be-be-before. We no-no longer have restraints. No fear, no compassion, no-no remorse. All we crave now is destruction. He laughed sharply, like a dog yelping.

I don’t understand.

Light rose up Thanatos’s body as he neared the hangar opening. His nano-armor quivered like mercury around his body, its jerking motions making her sick as it spiked and rippled and flowed. Her sharpened senses reached out to probe his body, and her mental radio connection – which all Titans shared when they were close to one another – filtered through the signals he emitted, all in an effort to discover what was going on. It took only a few seconds for her cybernetic mind to process the data. In spite of herself, Artemis had to admire the Hezrin’s ingenuity.

A v-virus, he said, confirming the information displayed in her eyes. A tiny little na-nanite virus. After years of trying to stop us with big-bigger bombs and bullets, they finally found the o-one thing that could hurt us. Un-n-nfortunately for them, all it did was make-make-make us even stronger. We’re now fr-free, chaos made flesh, and m-my will binds us. Join me, Artemis. You were always my gr-gr-greatest warrior. Together we can bring the w-war to its true end – on Earth.

Tears welled up in Artemis’s eyes. She couldn’t believe what she saw, couldn’t believe the words that resounded against her ears like cracked church bells. By all rights this should have been their moment of triumph, when the two of them stood side by side to watch the Hezrin threat finally end, but that moment was gone. Thanatos had been changed, turned into a demon that wore his face and twisted it. The chill that hit her heart was deeper and darker than the farthest corner of space, and she stumbled when she took another backward step. Don’t do this.

Thanatos’s armor shivered and spikes sprang up along his back, shoulders, and arms in a horrifying display of frenzied power. He lowered his stance, his feet rutting against the ground like an animal ready to charge.

I mean it very-very much. The wa-war will end where it began. The symmetry is poetic. We will dri-drink their blood until none is left. It’s the only way.

The threat of his words was magnified by the bright red glow in his eyes. His body fidgeted, and his mouth twisted. His sanity trickled out of him like sand from a broken hourglass, and as it ran out Artemis could sense his need for death and destruction build. That need was mirrored by the Titans with him, whose armor trembled and shifted like illusions run rampant. In all their years of battle she’d never once felt hopeless or defeated, but now the world at her feet was like glass ready to shatter at any moment and send her falling into oblivion.

You’re not yourself, she said, not sure which of them she tried to convince more. This…infection… Fight it! Wake up! You’re stronger than this!

I’m more myself than I’ve ever-ever been before. He grinned like a madman. Soon you’ll feel the same wa-way too. Take her, Uzume.

Artemis turned just in time to see a figure leap at her like a feral creature. Uzume, a woman she had once counted among her closest friends, jumped over the heavy fighter and lunged at her from the right. Her former friend’s fingers became razor sharp talons as nanites flowed along her fingers and hardened into claws. In a flash Artemis remembered the day they’d been made into Titans together, remembered the years they’d spent training and fighting, remembered the shared stories and hopes. All of it came to her in a chain reaction of synaptic firings, and it was all she could do to push the memories away and bury them before they got her killed.

When she stepped into Uzume’s lunge and grabbed her wrists, a wave of heat flashed through her as the infected nanites impacted hers. The intensity of the pain shocked her, but unlike the rest of the Titans she knew it was coming and was ready for it. With half her mind she worked to keep her sister Titan from wrestling her to the ground, and with the other she hurriedly erected firewalls within her cybernetic nervous system that would keep the infection at bay, or at least slow it down.

Do-don’t resist it, Uzume said, her demonic expression a sad reflection of who she’d once been. You can’t imagine the power. Her hands and infection fought Artemis with equal vigor, proving her words right, but her mania also made her strength unpredictable. When Artemis felt the Titan’s arms spasm she spun her around, pushed her toward Thanatos, and kicked her away with all her strength.

I’m sorry Artemis nearly choked on her words. What happened isn’t your fault, and I’ll do whatever it takes to save you.

Thanatos glared at her as Uzume landed at his feet. We’re st-still your family, Artemis. I offer you a place at my-my side, just as I said I would. Take it, or b-be destroyed.

Artemis stepped next to her fighter and angled herself toward the rear thruster mount. The engine ticked as it cooled in the breeze of the ruined city, but her eyes saw the thermal image of plasma still circulating in the turbine assembly. It wasn’t much, but it would have to be enough.

You’ve been like a father to me, Thanatos, she said. I love you. All of you.

Before he could guess her intent, Artemis spun toward her heavy fighter and envisioned a blade extending from her right arm. As the thought formed, her nanites shifted and flowed. In less than a second a meter-long blade sharper than anything ever forged by man grew from her hand, and with all her strength she sliced into the fighter’s engine. The plasma burned against her armor, but that was nothing compared to what it did to the fusion power core sitting in the engine’s middle. She barely had time to turn and run before the core exploded. The power of the blast lifted her from her feet and hurled her into a shuttlecraft forty meters away.

Alarm lights lit up the status displays in her eyes as she slid to the ground, but her armor held. What little internal damage she’d suffered would heal in time. What concerned her more was the progress of the infection. If it broke through her firewalls, nothing else would matter. Luckily her internal security measures were holding strong. How long that would last, she didn’t know.

When she pushed herself away from the dented shuttle and turned, she saw the palace hangar was in ruins. The explosion had collapsed the entrance under several hundred tons of rock, and every vessel around it was on fire, smashed to pieces, or both. Thanatos wasn’t stopped, but he was at least slowed down, and she knew she’d need every second.

After several minutes of limping around she found a ship capable of the journey ahead of her. Badly battered though it was, the small craft was still in one piece and had an intact jump engine. When she was airborne she turned and destroyed every remaining ship on the pad, blasting them to bits no Titan could ever put back together. There were surely other ships somewhere in the city, perhaps in some hangar within the palace, but she couldn’t spend time looking for them. She’d wasted far too many precious seconds already.

Once back in space she opened a wormhole conduit and charted the return to Sol. Though it had taken a century to battle their way to Crucible, the trip back would take less than a month by the most direct route. Her infection, though, meant every moment of the journey would be a struggle, so she deactivated unnecessary processes in her head one by one until she could devote all her power and attention to keeping the nanite virus at bay. Fortunately the ship could fly itself.

As her mind shut down, tears fell from her eyes like molten steel. Every battle they’d fought, every Titan that had been lost, might now amount to nothing. They’d finally reached the end of their struggle, and somehow their victory had been turned into a new beginning of blood and pain and violence. If there was to be a chance to truly end the war, then she had to hold on to her sanity for as long as possible. She had to.

Chapter Two

The shuttlecraft shuddered as it changed speed and heading, yet Shawn Campbell barely noticed. He was only sixteen years old, but he’d traveled through space since he was a baby, so a bit of rough flying didn’t bother him. He was used to the cramped seats, the metallic smell of machine filtered air, and the just-warm-enough-to-be-uncomfortable temperature of the flight cabin. Next to that, a little shaking was nothing.

So there I am, he said, his hands raised and his fingers curling around empty air, sweating like crazy. My hands are killing me, my eyes are burning, and my throat is drying up, but I don’t stop. It’s what I was born for, ya know? It’s what I do.

You’re a real champ, the man sitting to his right replied with his eyes squeezed closed and his hands gripping the arms of his seat so tightly his knuckles had turned white.

Shawn shrugged and gave the nervous passenger a half smile before facing forward and lowering his hands. When it comes to rock, I’ll shred until I’m dead, simple as that.

To his left, a heavyset man sat sleeping, his seat reclined as far back as it would go and his snores filling the interior of the shuttle like a rumbling wave. Shawn nudged him with his elbow, but the gesture got the same result it had the previous dozen times – nothing.

So you like to play music, huh? the man to his right asked, a slick sheen covering his face. He looked ready to spew any second.

Shawn reached for a call button and put his finger against it without pressing it down. Hey, man, you want me to get an attendant over here? I mean – don’t take this the wrong way – but you look like hell.

The passenger shook his head sharply, closed his eyes, and kept his arms locked down. No, no, I’m fine. I just hate space travel. Always have. Just . . . uh . . . keep talking, okay? Takes my mind off it.

Shawn gave him a skeptical glance, shrugged, and let it go. If the guy wanted to suffer, so be it. It wasn’t his job to take care of anyone but himself, and that was hard enough.

Yeah, I love music. Been playing since I was a kid. Me and some friends formed a band about a year ago, called Mother Dark. Early on all we could play were birthday parties and whatnot, but lately we’ve been hitting some actual stages. I mean real stages, man, like The Zeitgeist where Pearls Before Swine got their start. You’ve heard of them, right? Once our demo file gets in the right hands . . . we’re going to hit the big time. I just know it.

Your parents must be proud.

Shawn nodded, but the corners of his mouth puckered like he’d bitten into something sour. My dad and step-mom are, but I doubt my mother gives a crap. All she cares about is her museum. Put me and some dusty old Titan artifact in a room, and I can guarantee you which one she’d fawn over more.

The passenger’s laugh was a bit too forced and sharp. Ah, I’m sure that’s not true.

You have no idea. Shawn looked down at his lap and fiddled with a hole in his jeans. It’s all she thinks about, night and day. Dr. Groesbeck this and Titans that. It’s why they got divorced.

The passenger unclenched a hand and patted Shawn’s arm. It would have been a nice gesture if not for his clammy skin. I doubt it was as simple as that. Divorces rarely are, trust me. I’ve been there. And I’m sure that – despite what you think – your mother loves you. Some people are just bad at showing it.

Shawn opened his mouth to reply, but the ding of the FASTEN SEAT BELT sign cut him off. A moment later a flight attendant leaned over his snoring neighbor, her dark blue uniform revealing enough to hint at a nice figure but demure enough to chide him for thinking about it. She shook the sleeper, but he resisted her efforts. Not taking no for an answer, she grabbed his shoulder and shook him hard enough to rattle his seat. Seconds later he was awake and sitting upright. The scowl on his large, sleep-reddened face was more than matched by her self-satisfied smirk.

Glancing past his nervous neighbor, Shawn saw a hint of Callisto’s grim lunar surface through the window. In the distance hung Jupiter, its roiling bands of clouds a beautiful counterpoint to Callisto’s rocky, frozen face.

Good evening, passengers of BlueShift flight 1121, a voice said in deep, rich tones through overhead speakers. This is Captain Eisen speaking. We are currently on approach to Arcadia Spaceport and have been given permission to land. Please remain in your seats, and make sure that all unshielded electronic devices are turned off. Local time is 5:35 in the evening. It has been a pleasure flying with you today, and on behalf of everyone at BlueShift Spaceways, we hope you have a wonderful day.

Shawn half dozed while waiting for the shuttle to land, his eyes barely fluttering as the ship rocked and rumbled to a heavy landing. When the exit hatch finally opened he got up, grabbed his backpack from beneath his seat, said goodbye to the passenger on his right, and walked down the enclosed gangway that led to the inner terminal.

Gravity was light over the landing pad, but as he got closer to the spinning superconductors buried deep in the ice beneath Arcadia the gravity increased to a single Earth-standard gee. That was typical for habitats across the solar system, or at least for those that could afford to install and power the massive gyrating machines.

Arcadia Spaceport was small, so the walk to the baggage collection area was short and easy. The other passengers from the shuttle shuffled their way over while he stood waiting for the conveyor belt to activate. The only person who looked excited to be there was a little girl dressed in a bright yellow jumper, her soft brown hair tied into pig tails with pink ribbons. She held her parents’ hands tightly, and they swung her up and down with absentminded motions. On their chests were patches bearing the logo of Acqua Industries, the largest ice mining company on Callisto. The patches looked new, as did the uniforms they were stitched to. He figured them for new hires just shipping in.

He smiled as he watched the child gaze around in wonder. In her eyes everything probably seemed magical and made just for her. It would be years before she’d realize she’d been relegated to a dead end moon that once had been important but was now just a shadow clinging to a distant memory. He’d get to leave in a couple of weeks, but she might be stuck there the rest of her life. A shiver went up his back at the thought of it.

The brief thought of home reminded him of his mobile comm. He’d had to keep it powered off during the flight from Mars, but now he was free to use it, so he reached into his backpack and withdrew a pair of tinted glasses. They activated as they settled on his face and established a connection with the local communications network. A second later an icon shaped like a stylized eye appeared in the upper right corner of his vision with the number 1 next to it; there was a video message waiting.

Play message. He spoke just loud enough for the mobile comm to hear him.

The floating image of Ilona, his girlfriend, appeared on the inside of his glasses. The shadowy wonder of her almond-shaped eyes was lost in the recorded transmission, but nothing could diminish her full lips and the angelic roundness of her face. Pain lanced through his chest at remembering how long he would be separated from her.

Hey, baby. She tilted her head to the right like she always did when leaving a message. It was a cute look for her, and she knew it. I just checked your flight, and it looks like you’re about to take off, which means you won’t get this until after you land. I just wanted to say that I love you, I already miss you, and every hour you’re gone is going to suck more and more. But, I do have some good news that I think will cheer you up, though it might also make the wait to get back even harder.

Ilona’s eyes sparkled like an imp that had found a new devilish delight. She loved surprises. Shawn was more a creature of habit, routine, but she always looked for ways to shake him up, and more often than not she succeeded. In spite of that, or maybe even because of it, he loved her.

Honey baby, you’re not going to believe this, but we are going to be playing at Minerva’s Den.

The bottom of Shawn’s stomach dropped out, and he leaned against a wall to stop from falling on his butt. She had to be joking.

I know what you’re thinking, but I’m not joking. Her face beamed with pride. The guys in their booking office finally listened to our demo file, and they want Mother Dark to play. We won’t be headlining, but still. Originally they wanted us to play this weekend because a band dropped out – Gutter Child, I think – but I told them you were out of town for a couple of weeks, so they scheduled us in the next open slot they had. That day also just happens to be the same day you come back. I hope that won’t be an inconvenience.

Annoyance and joy ran through Shawn’s mind in equal amounts. He couldn’t believe their band had finally gotten a shot at playing on a stage as big as Minerva’s Den, but the fact that visiting his mom meant putting that off took some of the shine off the news.

Ilona’s eyes narrowed, and her plump lips screwed into a smirk, knowing what he’d be thinking before he did. Please don’t use this as another reason to hate on your mom. We’re not playing there as quickly as we could have, but we’re still going to be playing. Besides, look at the bright side – we get a couple more weeks to practice. I’m sure your mom won’t mind if you take a few hours here and there to link up with us. Don’t look at how wrong things are, and look at what’s right.

She was correct, of course, and his love for her grew a little more. He didn’t need to be positive when her positivity was enough for both of them. He worried sometimes that his cynical view on life would eventually drive her away, but whenever he told her that she shook her head and said that taking up his happy slack meant she got to be twice as cheerful, and then she’d shut him up with a kiss. All things considered, he knew he was lucky.

Anyway, I better go. Call me when you get settled at your mom’s. I know you don’t want to be there, but try not to give her a hard time. This hasn’t been easy on anyone, including her. So get going, have fun, and be the good boy I know you are. I love you.

The message closed with a brief burst of static, and a small bit of his happiness died when her image faded from view. They’d only been dating for a year, but she felt as much a part of him as his own hands, his lungs, his heart. He knew his parents didn’t believe the depth of his feelings for her – he could see the shadows of smirks when he talked about her – but he knew how he felt. Ilona was the woman he wanted to be with for the rest of his life. The fact that she could also sing like an angel was just the cherry on top.

Horns bolted to the ceiling above the baggage conveyors blurted out a short series of warning sounds, and the belt rumbled into motion seconds later. As bags appeared, people stepped forward and dragged their luggage away. It took a couple of minutes, but his eyes lit up as a long, flat case finally rolled into view. He grabbed it with greedy fingers when it came within reach.

The case didn’t look too worse for wear. After unlocking the combination latch he held his breath and lifted the lid. Inside, his guitar sat cradled in a molded velvet indention. The old-fashioned effects pedals – and really, the only way to go so far as he was concerned – were still strapped into place, and his extra strings were snuggled in their pouch. He checked the body of the guitar for any signs of abuse or damage, but everything looked okay. The neck was still tightly connected to the body, the head and tuning pegs were intact, and the Pao Ferro fretboard was in perfect condition. Thankful that the instrument had made the trip in one piece, he shut the case, locked it, and made his way to customs, the final barrier between him and two weeks with his mother.

Callisto was an American Alliance territory, and Shawn – being from Mars – was a citizen of the Eurasian Union. Relations between the two governments wasn’t the warmest it had ever been, but he’d never had any problems getting through customs before, and he didn’t expect it to be any different now. If something had blown up since he’d left Mars, he figured he would have heard about it by now.

A customs officer sat behind a grimy window like a frog, his plump body packed inside a metal booth he barely fit into. The gray and green uniform stretched across his lumpy physique was ill-fitting too, and as he reached for Shawn’s passport through an opening at the bottom of the window he looked out with dour eyes that drooped at the corners.

What is your reason for traveling to Callisto? The officer’s voice was monotone as he asked the question, which he probably repeated a hundred times a day. He barely looked up as he compared Shawn’s face to the image that appeared on his screen when the passport was inserted into a scanner.

I’m visiting my mom.

The officer sniffed wetly into the back of his throat and pressed a button on his computer screen. And who’s your mother? As he asked the question he glanced at his screens, ready to compare what Shawn said against what was in the system, making sure all responses matched the transit documents. Shawn had gone through the process dozens of times before, and it never varied.

Doctor Alicia Campbell, director of the Groesbeck Museum.

And how long will you be staying on Callisto?

Too long. The official glanced up and tossed him a ‘don’t screw with me’ look, so Shawn coughed and said, Two weeks.

Have you brought any organic substances with you? Fruits, meats, nuts?

No.

Do you have anything else to declare?

Only that I can’t wait to go back home.

The official withdrew Shawn’s passport from the scanner with a sigh, slapped a holographic stamp to one of its pages, and flicked it back under the window. I can’t wait for you to go back home too, kid. You’re clear to enter Callisto. Next!

Shawn gathered up his passport and tucked it into his pants pocket, looked at the doorway that led out of the spaceport, and wondered what was on the other side. Would she be there, a smile hammered into place and a hug he’d barely feel waiting for him, or would she do what she normally did and just send a driver to pick him up? Of the two options he didn’t know which he preferred.

As he neared the exited, he changed his mind. The driver sounded better. At least then he wouldn’t have to endure her deficient mothering in public. Some things were just too much to bear.

Chapter Three

Gimble, I know I said this before, but I think it bloody well bears repeating: they’re gaining on us!

Alden Gimble snarled and pushed the throttle of his ship as far forward as it would go, clacking it against the metal stops. A weight pressed into his chest like the boot heel of God as the Lady Godiva rocketed forward. Bits of rock hurtled at him like cannon shot, but he knew the heavily mined asteroid belt offered better odds than those promised by the trio of pirate hunters chasing after them.

Is that better? he asked through gritted teeth. Beads of sweat tumbled down his hairless head to sting his eyes. He flinched, then wiped his face and forehead clear with a sleeve already damp from perspiration.

Next to him, his crewmate Gavin Crowe stared at radar screens with rapt attention, his large eyes consumed by the readings on the displays. Gimble and Crowe had been friends and crewmates for years, each of them saving the other’s life more times than either could count. Their friendship was one of the few things in Gimble’s life that he valued. Considering they were the sole crew of the Lady Godiva, it was fortunate they got along so well.

If that’s all she’s got, we’re both in for a bad end, ‘cause those Alliance ships are not giving up, nor are they slowing down. Crowe’s waxen face was pale in the light of his screens.

Gimble flicked his eyes down to the small screen near his right knee and saw what Crowe meant. Goddamn them. Then our only option is to fight.

Crowe snickered. You’re mad.

What, you think the Lady can’t handle ‘em?

One ship? Without doubt. Two? Perhaps. Three? We’d be flotsam before we hit the belt’s outer markers.

Irritation curled Gimble’s upper lip. Then what, pray tell, would you suggest?

Crowe turned to the screen on his left and pressed a button, expanding their map of the local asteroid field. Near the upper right corner a blinking blue dot came into view. He tapped the dot with a ragged fingernail, then gave Gimble’s shoulder an excited jostle. There’s what I call a port in the storm. If you would, turn us softly to starboard and bring up our nose.

Would it be rude if I asked where we were going?

Crowe turned and gave his friend a dark grin. Vesta.

A tingle of excitement lit up Gimble’s spine, and a dark sound rumbled in his throat that few would have recognized as the laugh it was. Oh yes, that’ll do nicely.

Gimble tilted his control stick and brought the ship around to a new heading. It took them deeper into the asteroid belt than he’d wanted to go, but Vesta was a busy little patch of space, and what better place to shake a hunter than to lose them in the crowd?

Soon small dots filled Crowe’s screens, each one a stray bit of rock and ice. Once upon a time, a person could have flown from Mars to Jupiter without fear of hitting a single pebble, but two centuries of frantic mining had changed all that. Some areas of the asteroid belt had been swept clear for commercial traffic, but large swaths of it were lousy with debris, and it took a skilled hand on the helm to navigate the wilds of it.

My sky is getting sorely crowded. Gimble steered around two spinning boulders that easily would have crushed the ship had he been a second slower in his actions. Pings rattled against the ship’s hull like rain when smaller rocks pelted her, but the Lady shrugged them off. Her titanium skin had suffered worse.

Crowe huffed and shook his head. I take comfort in knowing that what’s bad for us is worse for them and their big ships.

In total agreement, Gimble edged around a group of rocks and dodged past another near collision. Suddenly two small asteroids hurtled at them from their port side too fast to avoid, so he flicked the gun toggle on his stick and sent streams of super-heated plasma hurling into the spinning rocks, breaking them into pieces