The Phoenix Fallacy Book I: Janus (19 page)

Janus shook his head and watched her walk to the front of the group.  He exchanged a doubtful glance with Marcus and the pair hurried to catch up.

Wouris met them back in Sigma 3.  She looked them over as they filed in silently, and they gathered in a semi-circle around her.

“You all understand the basics of the mission, so now we’ll get into how you’ll execute it.  There will be three teams.  Janus, Lyn, and Marcus are strike leaders.  Celes, Valers, Bynes, Alexis, Hastings and Young, you’re with Janus.” 

Wouris pointed to Ramirez, Jones, Holloway, Byron, Kirsten, and Roderick.  “You six
, you’re on Lyn.

Marcus, you’ll be leading the rest.”  She motioned to Thomas, Baker, Browning, Conor, Freeham, and Nathans. 
“An Adept squad will follow behind you in case you can’t get the job done.”

Janus looked around at his fellow cadets; the grim looks he saw made it clear they all understood what she meant.

She brought out a map of the Titan outpost, “Tomorrow morning, you will load up into three longboats.  Two Valkyrie squadrons will assault the East and South Beaches.”  She traced the path of the two squadrons with her finger, “This will be the extent of the air coverage until our veteran Adept squads can take out the Hades launchers.  Your longboats will be hard on the heels of the Valks.  You’ll drop in,” she pointed to the East beach, “hit the remaining beach defenses, and sweep into the outpost.  Move quickly, but don’t be afraid to do some scouting as you move through.  Most of the buildings are civilian mining structures so there shouldn’t be too much resistance.”

Byron raised a hand,
“And how much is ‘not too much’?”

Wouris shrugged, “We’ll get an update from our scout teams as we make our final approach, but our last tally was a total of about 100 S.T.s,
and no Inferni at the facility.  There isn’t much personnel present in the first place, and miners and scientists don’t get paid to stand in harm’s way.  They will likely start hiding once they realize the outpost is under attack.  No guarantees, though.”

“The only real military presence is the barracks, located here,” she pointed to a building
on the Western side of the city, “Be prepared for enemy reinforcements coming from this direction.  Marcus, you’ll plant your charges on the structural supports on the near side of the Comm. Center.”  She again pointed to the map and motioned to another corner of the Communications tower.  “Lyn, your team will hit the Southwest corner.  Janus, your team will have the toughest job; you’ll have to move quickly to get here,” she pointed to the farthest corner of the communications facility, “the Northernmost tip.  After you plant your charges, get moving to rendezvous with the Longboats on the South beach.  The Hades launchers as well as most of the colony’s defenses should have been swept out of the way by our veteran Adept squads by then, so you shouldn’t have too much trouble.  I will be dropping in with the Adept squad behind you, so if you do run into any trouble, sit tight and we’ll come a-runnin’.  And don’t worry about detonating the charges, either.  I will hit it after all squads are reported to be clear.  Any questions?”

No one spoke up, so she said, “Good.  You all should have memorized the colony’s layout and map by now, but you’ll get your own hard copy tomorrow morning, in case you’ve got any jitters about forgetting something.”

Kirsten spoke up, “Sergeant, why do we carry the plastic maps anyway?  We’ve got our comm. links.”

Wouris looked serious.  “The same reason you memorize it.  A plastic map doesn’t run on batteries, clog up with dirt, or get crushed during a hectic battle.  Never rely on something that is more complicated than it needs to be.  It just adds a
nother component for failure.  Besides, these aren’t completely ordinary maps.  Someone toss me a flashlight; Freeham, hit the lights.”

The room went dark, Wouris turned on the
light that Hastings tossed her. The small pool of light reflecting off the surface of the map dimly illuminated the group.  “Here is something else a brightly lit screen doesn’t do well.”  She brought up the flashlight so everyone could see the bottom of the handle and turned it, “One, two clicks.”  The flashlight went black, plunging the room back into darkness.  But after a moment, glowing lines illuminated the map.  Faint, purplish traces formed a grid, distinguishing the colony perfectly.

“Bio-luminescence.  Reacts to UV light that is produced from the flashlight’s diodes when you turn it twice.  Glows perfectly well for you, but is almost impossible to see from any distance and doesn’t give your position away with any extra light.  Only lasts for about a week, but still a handy feature if you are ever in a combat zone at night and need an impromptu war meeting.  Freeham, lights.”  Freeham hit the lights again as Wouris turned the flashlight off and tossed it back to Hastings.

Wouris shook her head, “I understand that you have had your training cut short and you all still have much to learn.  Most of you are probably worried by the nature of this mission, but I want you to know that I have the utmost confidence all of you will do your jobs, and do them well.  Your group is one of the most talented we have had in years, and, all other things aside, that’s why we feel we can let you participate in this mission.”

Janus folded his arms across his chest, and saw Celes smiling at him.  Marcus gave a wink to her, as Lyn gave Ramirez thumbs up.

Wouris started to pace, “Don’t forget your emergency comm. signal if you get into trouble.  All you have to do is hit the button.  And even though there isn’t supposed any Infernus presence, don’t forget that you armor helps mask and dissipate your heat signature.  So don’t panic if—”

Ramirez chuckled, causing everyone to turn and look at him in surprise.  “Don’t worry, Wouris.  We’ll handle it,” he said.

Wouris grim look was finally broken, and she smiled, “I know you will.  Now, go loosen up for a few hours, eat a good meal, and get some shuteye.  I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Chapter 2
3: Preparation

Janus awoke at midnight, the excitement and anxiety of the mission pressing down upon his chest.  Clara was counting on him. 

He sat up in his bed, staring at the wall; no matter what happened in today’s mission, he and the other cadets would dress like the veterans they would fight beside.  His new Adept armor was stronger and lighter than cadet armor, with more space to place equipment.  Armored plates woven into the suit protected his body, while a tough mesh formed the covering.  The armor was normally a dull black, but dark brown splotches appeared all over it as he pulled it from its rack.  He could feel the tingle of
electricity racing through the outer mesh as it finished its color change.  His new suit could change anywhere from a light brown to a solid green.  Swapping in a new entropic battery, he checked it over once more.  He would get three more camo shifts, if he needed them. 

He wore no helmet.  His suit was more for camouflage, gear, and protection from the elements than anything else.  It might provide light explosive protection, but a direct hit from a Zeus would be catastrophic;
even though one could survive the loss of an arm, one always needed a head.  He could unfurl a hood from his suit if needed, but an unfortunate reality was that for Adepts, a helmet was an impediment to vision, hearing, movement in tight spaces or dense brush, and a useless deadweight.  

Out of the wall closet popped another compartment, containing his new Loki pistol.  It too was a dull black with splotches of brown.  A stamp of the horse-riding Odin was embossed in the handle.  He checked it once over and rammed it in its holster.

The common room was quiet, lit only by the light of the moon.  Janus had just stepped inside when Celes’ door slid open, and she appeared in her own armor.  The suit enhanced the curves of her slim figure, while the pale moonlight gave her an ethereal glow.  Janus felt his breath catch.

She smiled, “Looking good.”

Janus relaxed and grinned, “Not so bad yourself.”

As they made their way towards the mess hall, Janus stopped at a window and stared into the darkness.  Valhalla was over the open ocean, away from the coast, and stars filled the blackness in every direction. 

Celes stood at his side, watching him closely.  “What’s on your mind?”

Janus took a moment before answering, his gaze not leaving the window, “I was just wondering how Clara is doing right now.”

“Clara?  Who’s that?”  Celes asked quickly.

“My mother.”

Celes mouth formed a little ‘o’, but she remained silent.

“I was just thinking about how she would feel about me putting my life in such danger, about doing the things we do – even if it was for her.”

“And?”  Celes asked expectantly.  Janus smiled at her directness, “I wasn’t sure at first, but then I saw the stars out there…”  Celes followed his gaze, “and realized she would be happy, although maybe a little frightened.”

Celes prompted him again, “Why?”

“I came from Cerberus.  It isn’t a pleasant place.  There is so much fog and darkness that you can’t see the sky, let alone the stars.  Before I came here, I had never experienced the open air, and I had seen the sky only once.  And although she has never lived outside the city, Clara used to read my books with me, and imagine what the world outside was like.  Clara would be happy that I can finally experience those things, beyond the world she’s trapped in, despite whatever dangers there may be.”  H
e was silent for a moment, “She’s sacrificed so much for me.”  He became quiet, watching the twinkling lights as they hovered over the horizon.

“See now, that wasn’t so bad, was it?” Celes said, smirking.

“What?”  Janus glanced at her, confused.

“You don’t always have to hold everything in.”

Janus returned his stare out the window, folding his arms across his chest, unwilling to admit the vulnerability.

Celes laughed, “Oh come on, let’s get breakfast.”

The mess hall was dark and empty when they entered.  However, the kitchen food dispensers never slept, and one of the machines was able to provide two bowls of steaming oatmeal.  It wasn’t anything fancy, but at least it was good and filling.

About half an hour later, Marcus strode into the hall, looking cheerful.

“Ready to take on our first mission Janus?  We’ll show the officers how to do their jobs right, won’t we?”

Janus smiled, “Looking forward to it.”

Marcus smirked, “Bet I plant my charges first.”

“Oh, we’ll take you on, even if we
do
have to go further than you to get the job done.”  Celes stated firmly.

Marcus laughed, “Ok, ok, maybe so – but I don’t have you on my squad, Celes.  I would say Janus has an unfair advantage.”

“Jealous, are we Marcus?”  Celes asked him slyly.

“No, but you will be when my squad gets the job done first,” he smirked.

“Well, let’s just make sure we get the job done,” Janus interjected with a note of finality.

Marcus’ face reflected his seriousness, “Absolutely.  No mistakes and we all get home tonight.”

After they had eaten their fill, the three jogged, albeit slowly, to t
he Chariot of Hail.  It was filled with bustling Adepts when the trio arrived.  All the Longboats and Valkyries were undergoing a final inspection before the mission.  Mercenaries were selecting weapons from the large racks on the walls.  Others double checked their equipment to ensure it was functioning properly.  A few Mercenaries were practicing their blade techniques against each other using unpowered Ghostblades.  Janus had never noticed it before, but without power, the blades were nearly dull.    

Ramirez motioned for the three of them to join him near one of the longboats.  “You may want to grab any special weapons and double check them before all the good ones get taken.”

“Oh?  What have we missed?” Marcus asked.

Ramirez picked up the huge rocket launcher that was leaning on the wall next to him and patted it lovingly, “Lyn felt that I should be the one to carry the heavy artillery for our squad.  I have a pistol for softer targets.”  He motioned to the monstrosity that was the “pistol” holstered on his armor.

“Are you sure that they didn’t just give you a cannon instead?”  Celes asked skeptically.

Ramirez shrugged, “Whatever works.”

Lyn joined them.  “Wouris says that final inspection is in thirty minutes.  Praetor Jennings is going to look over the cadets with her.  Do you two have your squads organized?”  She was giving Janus and Marcus critical looks.

“I went over everything with my squad last night.  I want to do a final check before the Praetor gives us the once over, though.”  Janus said.

“Oh, don’t worry, Janus,” Celes said.  “You need to lighten up a bit; we’ve got it all together.  I’ll grab our rifles, be right back.”

“Well, she certainly is carefree,” Ramirez commented dryly.

“That’s what worries me,” Janus replied matter-of-factly.

“She just has confidence in you as a squad leader, that’s all,” Lyn added with a smile.

Marcus ran a hand through his hair, “Yeah, we’ll be fine, Janus.  Speaking of worries, though, I need to go over final weapons assignments with my squad.  I’ll catch you guys in thirty.”  He jogged off to meet with his team. 

Celes came back with two Skadi rifles in her arms and a Vidar sniper rifle slung across her back.  “Where’s Marcus off to?”

“Meeting with his squad,” Lyn spoke, “I should probably do the same. Come on, Ramirez.”

“Here you go, Janus.”  Celes handed h
im the rifle in her arms, “Armory gave it the OK.  Double check it.”

“Did you check your rifle?”  Janus asked her as he inspected his weapon.

“Of course.  We should probably meet with our squad, too.”

Janus grinned, “Yes, O’ Great Commander.”

Celes shoved him playfully, “Alright, big shot, let’s go.”

When Marcus, Lyn, and Janus had lined up their three squads in formation, Praetor Jennings came over to them with Wouris following a step behind.  Wouris gave each cadet a once over, securing a strap here, checking a weapon there, until every cadet had been inspected.

She took a step back from the group, faced the Praetor, and said, “Cadets ready for inspection, sir!”

Praetor Jennings smiled, “Thank you, Sergeant.  I believe you have already performed that excellently.  All of you should get to your assigned longboats and prepare for departure.  ODIN has every confidence in all of you.  Good luck and God-speed.”  The cadets saluted, and the Praetor returned it, dismissing them.

As Janus motioned his group to the first longboat, the Praetor pulled him aside, “A moment, Janus.”

Janus gave him an apprehensive look, but listened intently, “Yes, sir?”

The Praetor narrowed his eyes, his gaze piercing, “If something goes wrong, the other cadets will listen to you.  You garnered a great deal of loyalty with Wouris’ test.”  He paused, watching Janus for a reaction. 

“I know you are worried about your mother, Clara.  You have the greatest potential I have seen in years – I don’t want you distracted or influenced by your worry for her.  Know that I will make sure she is well cared for at Cerberus, no matter what happens.  I think you have earned that.  I want you to focus all your energy on this mission.  If you think something is wrong, don’t be afraid to trust those feelings.”  He unclasped the ornately sheathed blade from his belt and handed it to Janus, who looked at it in surprise.  “Take this.  You haven’t had the opportunity for much training with a Ghostblade; we don’t usually allow Cadets to carry them until they have had a full mission in the field, but I think it may help.  Not only is it a valuable weapon, but if you run into trouble, the other cadets and Adepts will listen if they know you carry it.  Whether they follow will be up to you.”

Janus tested the weight of the blade in his hands
, and ran his hand along the engravings, from the red-enameled Odin upon the sheath to the eye that formed the pommel and power readout.  It was a beautiful weapon.

“But why?” Janus asked.

The Praetor gave a grim look, “Are you questioning my judgment?”

Janus shook his head, “No, sir.”

Jennings studied Janus’ face, “Good.  Let’s just say I don’t believe in coincidences.”  His eyes scanned the length of the sheath, stopping for a moment on a half-moon at the very tip.  “But don’t let this go to your head.  I expect every one of my new cadets to make it back alive.  Pride has killed more Adepts than anything else.  Don’t make the mistake of thinking you always know best.  Listen to your squad-mates; they have had just as much training as you have.  Now get to your Longboat and load up.”

Janu
s’ grip tightened around the heavy handle, “Yes, sir.”

The Praetor gave a slight nod.  As Janus turned and jogged towards the Longboat, the Praetor called out to him, “Oh, and Janus, I expect that back.  Don’t disappoint me.”