CV 2
Prologue: Bad News On The Doorstep
'Daddy?' She looked up into her father's eyes. He wasn't scared. He was never scared.
'Yes?'
'I'm frightened.' She said, her voice shaking. 'What's going to happen?'
'I'm not sure.' He said, looking out at the scrambled preparations taking place below them. The flight deck was bustling with people, dropships being loaded. The lift continued to lower them down, the glass walls reflecting the fear in both their faces.
'Will you come with me, daddy?' She said, looking at him.
'You know I can't.' He said, regret more than anything else in his voice. 'Come.' He said, stepping out of the now open doors, the sounds of the elevator's quiet humming being quickly replaced by the cacophony on the flight deck. A dropship fired its engines on the far end of the flight deck. The initial roar of the takeoff jets were replaced with silence as the ship entered stealth mode.
Lyndon saw them and walked over, the man's usually composed demeanor giving way. He looked almost on the verge of panic.
'We've got half the dropships off the planet. Their blockade is failing, but we don't know how long the Xalaxians can keep up the offensive.'
'What's the status on our forces above ground?'
'The defensive perimeter is in place. There's no AA fire... yet. Enemy ground forces are mobilizing, ETA nine minutes.'
She looked at Lyndon. He'd been her friend for the longest time. A woman's screams could be heard above the noise. Even though she didn't know the reason, she cringed anyway. A dropship came down, having deposited the previous round of passengers safely on board the starships in orbit, and was now taking another trip.
'Understood.' Her father said resignedly. 'Get my daughter on the next dropship out.' He said, turning around and returning to the elevator.'
'Daddy!' She cried out, Lyndon's hands catching her shoulders as her father walked away from her.'
'Shush. It'll be alright. Come on.' Lyndon said, taking her by the hand as he led her to the nearest dropship. 'Hold that ship!' He shouted above the noise of another dropship taking off.
The pilot helping the refugees onto the ship saw Lyndon, saw who was with him, and nodded. He shouted into the ship.
'I want my daddy!' She screamed, as Lyndon picked her up. She saw her father turn, and look at her as she was carried towards the ship, its engines already firing. Waiting for her.
Waiting to take her away from him.
'Daddy! Come back!' She screamed as the pilot took her from Lyndon's arms, placing her in the ship. She looked at Lyndon, tears streaming down her face. He looked back at her, his expression stolid.
'It'll be okay.' Lyndon said as the doors of the ship folded closed, the engines moving into full gear as the pilot carried her into the passenger cabin. The masses of scared people looking back at her only made her want to cry even more.
'You take care of her.' The pilot said, depositing her into the arms of the nearest passenger, a young woman who seemed stable enough to care for the child. He then made his way towards the cockpit, opening the door and sitting down.
'Hello there.' The woman said, stroking her hair.
'I want my daddy!' Her screams resonated throughout the entire ship, and there wasn't a soul on board who didn't feel sorry for her.
'Don't cry.' The woman said to her, holding her close. 'My name's Brianna.' She said as the dropship cleared the takeoff zone.
Down on the flight deck, her father watched the ship take off. As it disappeared from view, he turned and walked towards the still open elevator doors.
'Sir!' Lyndon shouted. 'Where are you going?'
'To get Sigma.' He said, the doors closing as the lift shot back up to the Complex.
He looked up at the ETA timer above the elevator doors impatiently. He'd already lost part of his life. He didn't want to lose the other.
A few moments later, the doors snapped open as he stepped out into the familiar walls of his laboratory. Sigma was there, her usual patient stance.
'Good morning.' She said.
'No it isn't.' He replied. 'Where's the final copy?'
She held out a single diamond in her hand. 'As you requested.'
'Good.' He caught the diamond, her throw perfectly accurate, as usual. 'You have initiated the protocol, I hope?'
'I was waiting for you.' She replied. 'Where's Irys?'
'She's on a dropship.' He replied, walking over to a computer console.
'Jesus Christ.' Sigma said in disgust. 'You know better than to ship a girl of her age away without you!'
'I had no choice.' He said. 'And I recall telling you to lay off the parenting advice.'
She sighed, folding her arms over her chest. 'Okay.' She said. He finished typing, and straightened.
'Everyone's out.' He said, thinking for a while. 'I guess this is it, Sigma.'
'You? Guess?' She said, smiling. She could always smile in the face of adversity. Or in this case, total annihilation. He loved that about her.
'Begin total lockdown of the Complex except the flight deck.' He said, turning to leave. Sigma turned off her hologram, performing his orders, blast doors closing and systems shutting down as the main door of the laboratory begin to shut, its huge metal presence cutting him off from the world he had known before.
The world he'd never see again. 'Execute Emergency Evacuation Protocol Omega One.'
'Primed.' Sigma said as the door continued its descent. 'Protocol in place.'
'Begin.' He said, trying to make himself heard over the sound of the huge door sliding down. 'Start timer.'
'Timer started.' She said, the lights of the lab turning off as Sigma powered down. 'Beginning system shutdown.'
He turned to leave, prepared to leave his whole life behind when he heard something he hadn't expected.
'Goodbye.' Sigma's voice said as the door closed forever.
He went back into the elevator, the diamond clutched firmly in his hand.
