Thrive in Catastrophe Chapter 97

"I came to save you, Idiot!" Lauren shouted at Winn, flipping him off.

There was no time to relax. Xiao Yan and Heine jumped into the cabin and Winn followed closely behind.

When everyone had entered the cabin, several killers showed up and jumped onto the aircraft, holding onto the engines.

"Holy s.h.i.+t!" Lauren had just pressed the b.u.t.ton to close the hatch. A killer grabbed his arm and Winn quickly clasped his wrist as Liv mercilessly cut off his arm. His limb fell and the hatch closed. Lauren looked dumbly at the whole scenario. He patted his chest as if to a.s.sure himself he was till alive.

"Say...um...are they all Jane Wallace?" Lauren pressed his face to the cabin window, watching as another group of killers rushed from the flight path to the craft.

Casey, who was stone faced this whole time responded. "They are not Jane Wallace."

Lauren looked at him blankly. "Where did Jane Wallace go?"

Suddenly a killer climbed up on the window and attempted to jam his blade through the window. Although this was an impossible task, he diligently continued trying.

"I don't know what Valentin did to them. Everything inside there was crazy." Winn watched as one of the killers attempted to destroy the craft's engines but instead was sucked inside. A fine mist of his blood blew out the other side, scattering his remains into the air.

Xiao shouted an order to the pilot. "Take them all out. Every killer."

"Major has anyone told you that you are sounding more and more like Colonel Burton?"

As the sound of Ritz's voice pa.s.sed through the craft's system, Xiao looked up stunned and then yelled loudly at LAuren. "Who is the pilot?"

"Mr. Ritz and Major Loch." Lauren had never seen Xiao so angry. He could barely gather the courage to answer his question.

"Didn't I tell them to stay at the base. If anything ha..."

"Don't blame them. No one wants to watch their comrades head to the front line while they cower in safety." Winn knows exactly why Xiao Yan is so angry.

"It is imperative that we keep track of Jane's wherabouts. Casey put on his terminal device. "I have placed a miniature tracking device in his heart. Even though Valentin...even though he will replace his brain with Jane's, we can still locate Valentin through this tracker."

Even if Casey is using the mission to deal with Jane's capture and eventual death, Casey's inner pain is apparent. Although everyone senses it, no one can fully understand his anguish.

"I have Jane's current position!"

" He is six hundred feet underground!"

Xiao Yan called up the layout of the structure in his contact. There is no exit path under the ice. That means an aircraft must be used to leave the base.

"What should we do now? " Liv glanced over at Heine.

"Xiao Yan. This is your mission. You decided how to continue." Heine's eyes are still, their depths reveal an unwavering support for the Xiao's world.

Xiao took a deep breath and connected to the cab. "Riz, Loch did you finish the particle bomb I asked you to create?"

"Of course. It is ready" Ritz answered confidently.

"I will send over the coordinates to certain areas of the base. Blow it up. We have to force them to leave with Jane."

"I have received it. That is what I wanted to do in the first place. It is a pity that Valentin is not inside."

The aircraft whirls around and slings off the killers still hanging from the engines. A missile is released and hits the SW corner of the base as Xiao ordered. As it exploded, dust blew into the sky and scattered outward. In less than 30s this portion of the structure was completely demolished.

"That is so d.a.m.n satisfying." Mark wiped the nutrient solution from his face. "Too many missions in there were abominable."

"The tracker shows that Jane is on the move." Casey spoke as he monitored the data.

Xiao ordered Loch and Ritz to avoid the flight path and instead blow up the central area of the base.

The ice sheet shook beneath them amid the explosions, it wouldn't be long before the entire base collapsed.

In less than a minute he opened the cabin door to see a group of Surge killers rus.h.i.+ng out.

"AH...I am pretty sure that this will not end well." Winn gripped his sword and prepared for battle.

Loch and Ritz looked at each other in silent agreement. Suddenly a missile was launched at the group of killers running toward them.

Mark yelled out that he really wanted to jump up and kiss the two pilots.

"Xiao Yan, we can only help you at this level."

Xiao quickly looked up the internal structure of the destroyer and searched for Valentin. However, he hid himself well. The minute he invaded the battle s.h.i.+p, Xiao had the distinct impression that he was trapped in Valentin's mind.

"Find Jane and you will find Valentin." Casey continued to follow Jane's signal.

"Before that, we must stop his killers!"

Xiao Yan brought the layout of the destroyer up for both of them to look at. The exterior was the same as any wars.h.i.+p of that era. It was over 200 years old, but the interior was immensely complex.

It was a fortress.

"We will enter through this channel, but we must immediately close it off. We have to prevent more killers from entering and isolate them as much as we can. This way, even if they find us, we can handle the numbers."

Casey looks over at him worried. "That means that you will have to continually control the nodes. Valentin won't let you do such a thing. He will destroy your mind."

"Let him try." Xiao reached down and pressed his palm against the ground, he closed his eyes and let his mind extend outward through the system.

Heine kneels in front of him and reaches to cup the back of Xiao's head. He leans his face toward him and his forehead gently touches Xiao's. His breath fans out over his face. "Xiao Yan, remember...now your pursuit of Valentin is not only for yourself but for your companion. Do not be impulsive, else you will pay a terrible price. You can't do anything over."

Xiao took a steadying breath. He understood what Heine was trying to tell him . A straightforward invasion will be easily intercepted by Valentin. He must be thoughtful and careful. Xiao immediately obscures his thoughts and suppresses his emotions, he quietly blends his thoughts with the battles.h.i.+p.

"Let's go."

They all make their way forward and the channel nodes close behind them,leaving only one path.

Occasionally they encounter killers, even Casey's clones. A group of Surge a.s.sa.s.sins form a circle around them. When Mark turns back, he moved to shove his swords through Casey's chest.

Suddenly Xiao stilled his hand.

"Hey! Look a bit more carefully. That really is Casey." Winn shoved Mark aside.

"What do you mean look more carefully? They all look the same." Mark whined as he blocked an attack from another killer.

"Casey is carrying the mobile terminal." Liv joined Winn in scolding Mark.

Heine moves ferociously through the pa.s.sage. When there is no room to swing his blade, then he simply uses the hilt to crack the skulls of the killers before quickly turning and thrusting the blade through the throat of another.

Xiao was besieged by three killers. He found it incredibly difficult to navigate the small s.p.a.ce. He jammed his elbow against one, slamming him against the wall and then grabbed his shoulder to push him at the other killers heading his way. Before he could regroup, Xiao had cut off his head and leaped toward another opponent. The Casey's clone looked at him and he watched as his mouth moved...as though whispering his name...

'Xiao Yan'.

Xiao paused and in that moment of hesitation the killer thrust his blade through Xiao Yan's chest. Suddenly a figure appeared and roughly pulled Xiao Yan away. He landed hard on the ground and his left arm cracked painfully from the hard throw. He looked up to see Heine in front of him. His blade swung and the head of the killer was quickly severed.

"Are you stupid? You can't even recognize me!" Casey's enraged roar rattled Xiao's eardrums.

Something warm and wet dripped onto Xiao's cheek. He looked up to see that Casey was holding onto him. He had a deep wound extending along the bridge of his nose to the left side of his face. It was rapidly healing as he watched.

Suddenly Xiao slammed into Casey's body. He knocked the blade away that the clone had sneakily unsheathed. Xiao pushed him against the wall and the instant the clone stumbled, Xiao Yan had his head.

All along the pa.s.sage bodies flew as they continued to move forward. Xiao Yan went to close the node behind them and prevent more from entering, but he found that, despite his efforts, he could no extend far enough into the system.

Seeing another killer head toward them, Mark anxiously yells out. "Hey Xiao Yan? What is going on? What's happened to you?"

Xiao Yan knows that he has not been disconnected from the wars.h.i.+p, but that Valentin is attempting to lure him in deeper. As he extends further into the s.h.i.+ps system, he falls further into Valentin's mind. He stood rooted in place, unable to move even a finger.

Casey was the first to react. "Get his terminal off of him! Right Now!"

"No. If we interrupt his thoughts right now it will damage his neurons." Heine grabbed Xiao yan. "Give him a moment. He won't let himself get trapped."

"What about this group of 'Casey's'?" Mark yelled.

As they pa.s.sed a particular channel node, Casey stopped abruptly. "Give me Xiao Yan's gun."

"What are you doing." Winn grabbed Casey but was harshly pushed away.

"Are you the technical soldier or am I? Don't waste time!"

Heine threw Casey his gun and he pressed it to the sliding doors, locking the node. He then docked the energy converter of the other gun. They all heard a m.u.f.fled sound and then the sliding doors opened. Casey was suddenly struck down at the threshold and Winn's keen eyes caught the situation. He rushed over to pick him up before he was crushed by the door sliding closed.

Suddenly a killer rushed to the door and grabbed his ankle before Casey was clear. The sliding door slammed against his leg, tearing his muscles and crus.h.i.+ng his bones. In less than a second countless hands have grasped Casey legs. The sliding door began to sound an alarm. It attempted to close but was blocked by Casey's body.

"s.h.i.+t! Mark can you guys work a little harder?" Winn yelled back and Mark grabbed Casey's waist trying to keep him with them.

"This group of guys is really strong!"

Casey was still tightly gripped by the group of killers on the other side of the door. Mark planted his feet on the side of the door, to ensure they don't get dragged with Casey past the threshold. The killers hands hold the door, leaving a gap of more than 10 centimeters. They threaten to widen the s.p.a.ce and break through.

The pain is getting too intense and Casey's face is ashen. He speaks with great difficulty. "Cut my legs off! Cut them!"

"What?"

As Winn hesitated over the extreme request, Heine moved his hand and in a flash Casey's leg was cleanly severed. The sharp difference in inertia caused Winn and Mark to fall backward. The door closed instantly.

Beads of cold sweat fell to the ground and blood poured from the wound that had not yet healed.

"Hey...you...nothing..." Winn helped Casey to the wall and watched as he lowered his hands and pressed them to the place where he was cut.

When the wound heals, the pain finally stops.

During all of this, Xiao is lost in a dark and directionless oblivion.

The entire battles.h.i.+p seems to be Valentin's brain. When Xiao finally calms, he suspects that this  wars.h.i.+p has no system at all, every connection leads back to Valentin's thoughts.

If this is the case, entering the master system means entering Valentin's thoughts directly...and his thoughts are the darkest fears of the world. Xiao felt a strong pressure flow through his mind, squeezing him further into the darkness. The strange force wraps tightly around his extending thoughts. They compress and threaten to collapse.

If this continues he will die..

Calm down, Xiao Yan...

If this battles.h.i.+p is really Valentin's mind then you have to retreat.

Instead of leaving his brain, he left the wars.h.i.+p.

****I know...I know...a horrible cliffhanger, but I figured better to have a chapter than wait.  A lot it going on so I hope that it reads well enough to follow. We are so very close to the end.  I am kinda sad about that...Though I guess I still have to go through the chapters and proof them, so...there is that. Not quite as exciting.

Did anyone expect the Surge to be this?  All of the clones and such? I remember being really surprised when I read it the first time.