Dynamis | Chapter 4 - Omen (Patreon)

Karl sat at attention while Instructor Shea Kuuna pointed to a photograph of a creature he’d taped to the white board. It bore an almond-shaped body and four thick legs. Littering its body were innumerable eyeballs, and a distinct tail with aquatic scales. The quality of the image made it difficult to discern much else.

“This Fiend was sighted just a few hours ago off the coast of Guat.” Kuuna held a thin extendable rod and tapped the section where its supposed head was. “Paladin now has it on the run. Can anyone tell me what weapons may be effective?”

Karl raised his hand, but Kuuna pointed to someone in the back rows. “Miss Batoral?”

“Yes,” Batoral said, “I would enact armor-piercing rounds to puncture its skin. Judging from the picture, its skin appears to be made out of some sort of hard substance.”

The instructor smiled. “That’s a good answer, though it is not the one I was looking for.” Karl raised his hand again, and this time Kuuna picked him. “Mister Donovan.”

“I would outfit my DF with plating to defend against my own weapon loadout, then use small arms fire to determine how it reacts to shell and energy-based weaponry.” Karl drew a deep breath, then exhaled. Public speaking was still a nerve-racking experience. “Then adjust accordingly.”

Kuuna’s smile widened. “Very good.” He retrieved a photograph from the table and taped it onto the board next to the first one. It was another Fiend, though this one had a vaguely humanoid shape with arms made of interconnected thorns which flared out at the ends. “This Fiend was eliminated one week ago. We lost a newly graduated conductor because she wrongly assumed that shell-based weaponry would be effective. It’s a miracle her partner survived.”

A hand went up, and Kuuna pointed.

“I don’t mean to be insensitive, sir,” Rean—one of the male students—asked, “but what was the cause of death?”

“Temporal translocation,” Kuuna answered. When the students whispered, he clarified. “A spatial disruption caused the missiles she fired to be redirected point-blank. Many of the other DFs retreated afterward, as few of them were equipped with the necessary energy-based weaponry to handle the situation.”

Fiends were disturbingly crafty creatures. Originating from a realm coined The World Beyond, they were beasts obsessed with organic material and energy. Cities were raided within days, entire lakes depleted of aquatic life in the span of a few hours. Anything they got their claws or teeth or whatever appendages on was torn to shreds. It’d be one thing if they killed out of necessity, but the actions of these Fiends went beyond basic survival instinct.

Karl grimaced with the other students when Kuuna placed a third and much larger photograph on the board. Captured in the photograph was a thin layer of flesh stretched over several bulbous shapes. Anyone looking at it could tell that the shapes were human heads.

“This is the same Fiend. And that is what was found beneath the first layer of skin.” Kuuna tightened his grip around the metal rod until his knuckles turned white. “We are not sure why the Fiends do such things, but let this photo sink in. Do not look away. Let it remind you what we’re fighting against. These creatures have no feeling, no remorse. Our latest findings show that they may not even have basic survival instincts.

“You are not fighting animals,” Kuuna enunciated as he walked down the aisle beside Karl, “you are fighting monsters. The next time you enter the DF could be your last.” He pointed his rod at the board. “This creature claimed nineteen lives before we eliminated it, and those are just the ones we know of.”

Kuuna took his time scanning over the students. Many of them held hands to their mouths while others grimaced, and a select few continued to stare as they grew pale. This was the cold reality each student faced. So plentiful the Fiends were, it was likely Karl and the other students would never see Nesharis—their planet—without them. With no way of knowing how they reached Nesharis, culling as many of them as possible was all they could do.

Kuuna pointed at Millie, the girl who sat directly behind Karl.

“I’m sorry for asking, Mr. Kuuna, but… could we not destroy the portals they come from?” Millie asked.

“That’s what we’ve been saying for decades.” He rounded the aisle opposite of Karl and returned to the board. “There are men and women around the clock researching that very thing. We’re not sure how, when, or even why the portals form. There are no consistencies.” He bowed his head and wrung his hands. It was public knowledge that Fiends had claimed the lives of his wife and son. Looking at these creatures had to hurt. “There are theories, but none of them have been proven thus far.

“It would be best to assume the worst-case scenario that we may have to cohabitate. We may never discover how these Fiends reach our world.” He pocketed his hands and sniffed. “But so long as we draw breath, we can make it harder. We can ensure Nesharis is still here when future generations are born. And maybe one day, these beasts will be gone.” He looked up to his left at the clock, then back at the students. “That’s all for today, class. Think about what I told you, and how you might alter your strategies in the future.”

The students began to pack up, and Kuuna was the first one to leave the classroom, kicking the door stopper out on his exit.

Shutting his laptop, Karl tucked it under his arm and made to move, when Lilibelle stood by his side, arms crossed and eyes sharp. “Well, well, look who it is. What do you want?” Karl asked.

“Your ride-along is today,” she said.

“So is everyone else’s. What about it?”

Lilibelle’s eye twitched. Something was up. “S-So, aren’t you scared?” Her cheeks flushed, and she averted her gaze with her trademark tongue clicking.

Scared? Is she actually showing concern? What the hell changed since last night? he thought.

“Do you have a fever?” Karl asked.

“No! I don’t have a fever! Idiot!” she exclaimed, drawing the attention of a few of the students. She glared at them. “What are you looking at? Get!”

Karl sighed. “Look. I understand. You don’t like me. But you don’t have to pretend to care. Maybe soon I’ll be out of—”

“Oh, shut up. I’m trying to help, so… let me help.”

Karl watched her for a few seconds. This has to be Strobar’s doing.

“All right. Fine.” Karl hadn’t thought much about the ride-along, if he was being honest. This would be his second time in a DF, and the pair he’d be going with were some of Deadeye’s best, so he had a hard time feeling anything other than excitement. “Thanks for trying to help,” he said, hoping his confusion didn’t reflect in his tone, “but Sean and Carly are going to be there, so—”

“I know that!” She growled. “Oh, screw it. Just forget I asked, okay?”

Karl furrowed his brow. “Lilibelle, what is this about? Yesterday you couldn’t stand me, and now you’re—”

“I have to go.” Lilibelle marched away in a huff, her knapsack over one shoulder and her laptop under the other. “Move it!” she barked at one of the students, nearly knocking him over on her way out.

Karl scratched the back of his head.

I don’t understand her at all.

Lunch was a shorter affair than Karl had expected. Jark and his buddies kept him company, and with the ride-along not being far off, he had something to talk about. Well, something besides Lilibelle.

Wrench continued to tease him while Dart and Short insulted one another’s intelligence. Karl squirmed under Jark’s constant need to pester him regarding his attraction to the girls in his class, but he proudly kept his lips tight. There were quite a few of them that he liked, but everyone had been paired up, and coming between any of them and their designated partners was a great way to get kicked out of Deadeye, Harmonic or not.

Jark eventually broached the topic of Lilibelle and how their partnership was getting along since the day prior. He playfully nudged Karl between the ribs, and Karl made sure to dismiss any suggestions that they could be anything more than partners, or friends at the very best. To suggest any remote attraction to Lilibelle wouldn’t be dissimilar to running toward the edge of a blade. He wasn’t interested in being cut to ribbons and tossed away like a means to an end.

“Leaving so soon?” Wrench asked as Karl packed up the remains of his lunch in a brown paper bag.

“Lunch is almost over. My ride-along is in one hour,” Karl said.

Wrench blinked. “Ah, shit!” She jumped off the crate she’d been sitting on and darted down the hallway to her left.

Short and Dart followed right behind her, shouting similar vulgarities, but Jark? Jark just stood there.

“Don’t you have to go, too?” Karl asked.

“They’ll live if I’m a few minutes late.” Jark barked a laugh. “What are they going to do? Retire me?”

Never. No matter who built it, how old it was, or how bizarre the designs were, Jark had a knack that defied reason. One look at it and he knew exactly how to make it tick. Minor weight distribution problem? Calibrated. Weapons jammed? Good as new. Jark claimed each part had a soul, and that it cried out to him. The first time Karl heard that, he’d rolled his eyes. Now, though? Well, the results spoke for themselves.

Karl snickered. “Just don’t be too long. I think even they have their limits.”

“Could test them and find out.” Jark laughed again, then started down the same hall his friends had. “Anyway, see ya later, champ! Have a good flight!”

“I will! Take it easy, Jark!”

“Piston,” Jark corrected. He liked to be referred to by his nickname, the same as Short, Dart, and Wrench. Real names felt too formal to them. The only reason he’d been referring to Jark by his given name was because Strobar was Jark’s mother. Additionally, the mechanics had introduced themselves by their nicknames. Their real names were a mystery, and Karl was okay with that.

“Piston!” Karl said, waving.

Now that that was over, it was time to suit up and get ready. Ride-along or not, this was just as much a test as any other activity, and he wasn’t about to get docked points for a lax attitude.

He made his way down the main walkway in a hurry. Turning left at the cross section, the automatic doors opened with a hiss. He continued down the metallic walkway until he came across the men’s locker rooms on his right and slid his keycard to gain entry.

The door hummed before hissing and sliding open. Two other guys from his training class, Cecil and Ader, were already inside, talking and slipping on their neurosuits. They glanced at Karl as he entered.

After the door shut behind him, Karl briskly made his way over to locker 213 on the opposite side Cecil and Ader were dressing. He slid his card once again, and a green light flickered beside the lock. A click followed, and he threw open the door. Inside was a neurosuit and its components, several changes of clothes, and a few accessories, including a compass, combat knife, and some other basic survival tools.

“So, uh,” Ader said, pausing for effect. “You and Miss Roux seem to be getting along. Holding hands, telling jokes. Plan on doing the deed soon?” This was the third time this week Karl had heard him ask this question.

A locker door slammed on the other side, and Karl flinched. “Can you just leave this alone?” Cecil hissed. “Stop trying to play matchmaker. We got a good thing going and I don’t want anyone or anything jinxing it. Especially you.”

“Whoa, whoa, easy there. It’s not my fault your last two partners quit.”

“‘Wouldn’t it be funny if they up and left?’” Cecil said in a very thick mocking tone. “Those were your words.”

“Come on, man, loosen up, I’m just giving you shit. Besides, like I have that kind of power.”

“Look, I know you mean well, but I’m nervous enough about this without your incessant teasing,” Cecil said after a pause. “I don’t want to mess this up. So can you just back off?”

“Got the memo,” Ader said, his tone descending.

Karl sympathized with Cecil. “Now, where was I?” he muttered.

Considering he wouldn’t need the other tools—as advised by his ride-along coordinator—he snagged the neurosuit, along with some shoes and accessories, and carefully shut the door. He slid his keycard along the spine of the reader, and it turned red. He pulled on it to ensure it was locked, then threw the neurosuit over his shoulder and escaped to one of the showers to dress privately.

Once inside the shower, he turned the knob to avoid suspicion, then stripped his clothes and started putting on the neurosuit. Of all the things that took some getting used to, the neurosuit had to take the list. Changing in front of other people, whether men or women, was uncomfortable enough, but the fact that he had to be nude under the suit was heart-pounding. It had to be that way in order to properly link the body’s nervous system to the DF interface, but despite knowing that, it didn’t make it any easier.

After the suit was on, Karl rolled his shoulders and stretched his legs until the fabric was comfortable on his skin. Well, as comfortable as it could be. As nice as the suits were, they were made of a glossy synthetic material with nodes and grooves where roads of angular lines led from one point to another. They were exceptionally uncomfortable in any kind of position that wasn’t the cockpit of a DF. Supposedly, they doubled as performance boosters, but he had yet to experience such a feature.

He strapped the bands that came with the suit onto his wrists and ankles, then took a seat in a corner of the shower where he’d set the matching pair of shoes. Now these were comfortable. Not only was it difficult to tell the difference between whether you were barefoot or not, but the material underneath was puncture-resistant, allowing them to double as running shoes. If the shoes weren’t so specialized, he’d ask to have a pair made for casual use.

After a few minutes, Karl collected his casual clothes and turned the knob to stop the water. He stepped into the changing room to see Ader and Cecil were gone. He locked his clothes up, then started back out the hallway, this time continuing his way down the hall past the women’s locker room. He turned left at the crossroad, following it as it hooked left again, where the elevator that would lead them to the hangar’s second floor waited.

“Hey,” a voice said, causing him to flinch. He knew that voice. When he turned toward it, he worried something like his heart, his brain, or his very soul would drop into the pit of his stomach.

“Oh, uh, hi again, Lilibelle. I wasn't expecting to see you.”

Lilibelle raised a brow and briskly strode past him to press the button for the elevator. She kept her arms crossed and remained at his side. “Who do you think I am?”

How am I supposed to know who you are?

Karl nodded slowly. It was the only gesture he could think of that wouldn’t immediately cause her to lash out.

The elevator hummed as they stood side by side uncomfortably.

“So—” they said in unison.

“N-No, you first,” Karl said.

Lilibelle glanced at him and tapped her elbow. “I’ll give you two weeks.”

Karl frowned and turned his head toward her. “Two weeks for… ?”

“To impress me.”

It took so much more effort not to roll his eyes than it should have. “Ah. During the simulations you mean.”

She nodded.

“I see,” he said.

This was the longest he’d waited for an elevator. Every second spent idling was excruciating.

“If you don’t, then I’ll make sure you get replaced. Until then, I’ll keep my mouth shut.” Lilibelle turned her head to meet his gaze. The attitude was there, but there was a gentler veneer to her words that wasn’t there before. “Got it?”

“Read you loud and clear.”

The elevator dinged as it arrived. Cecil and Ader appeared around the corner behind them, quickening their pace. Lilibelle entered the elevator first, with Karl following close behind, keeping his foot against the door to let Cecil and Ader in.

“Phew! Made it in time! Thanks, bud,” Cecil, a blond-haired guy nearly two heads taller than Karl, said as he patted him on the shoulder on his way to the back.

Karl stepped back as Ader came in, and the elevator doors shut.

Ader ran a hand through his red hair and flashed Lilibelle a charming smile, parking in a corner of the elevator where she could see him. She bowed her head slightly, flashing him a glare that would kill the average man. Ader’s smile faltered, and he pressed the button next to the door to get the elevator moving.

Not a single word was said the entire way up. I wonder if the other guys are just as uneasy speaking to Lilibelle as I am?

The elevator dinged, and Ader was the first one out.

Karl and Lilibelle stood to the side to let Cecil through. Cecil snickered and shook his head. “Sorry about him,” he said on his way out, making a right behind his friend.

Karl pointed to his left as he and Lilibelle exited. “I think I’m this way.”

“A-As am I,” Lilibelle stammered.

“Uh. Okay.” Maybe it would sound stupid, but if she was already willing to give him two weeks to impress her, then it was possible it couldn’t hurt to be friendly. “Want to go together?”

“No,” she spat. Swift and ruthless. “But you come off like you need company, so...” She threw one long pigtail over her shoulder and waited.

Okay. A little passive-aggressive, but I guess it’s better than nothing.

Lilibelle marched behind him as he looked for a DF with red and yellow decals. Three stations down, he saw a DF with a four-point head bearing red and yellow stripes. Each of the points was vertical, being thick at the base and thin toward the tip. A mechanic stood on an elevated platform and was making the final touches on the central unit.

A man and a woman who didn’t look much older than he was were talking behind the chain link fence. It was the couple from the day prior.

“Those must be them,” Karl said, flicking his head toward the couple. He quickened his pace, and Lilibelle kept up. He stopped beside them, and the couple turned their heads toward him. “Excuse me, but are you Sean and Carly?”

The woman—a striking beauty with long brown hair and large blue eyes—nodded. “Yes, that is us! Are you Karl Donovan?”

Karl nodded enthusiastically. “Yes, that’s right.”

“Nice to meet you,” Sean said, offering his hand. Karl took it and was surprised to feel how much stronger he was than he looked. He stood one head taller and had a lean build, made easier to see with the neurosuit he wore. He had a healthy head of black hair and thin brown eyes. This was the kind of man Karl imagined the ladies ogled. “Are you excited?”

“I wouldn’t put it that way,” Karl said, wanting to appear professional. He’d be lying if he said he wasn’t excited, but Kuuna’s words had struck a chord with him, so he wanted to make sure he had his priorities straight. “But yeah. A little bit.”

“Don’t worry, it’ll be our secret.” He smiled.

Karl scratched the back of his head and hoped that they didn’t notice his blush.

“S-So, how does this work?” Karl asked.

“Well,” Carly said, leaning her torso to one side and raising a finger, “I’m sure they’ve already told you, but just in case, you’ll be coming with us during a Fiend extermination. Rest assured, you’ll be safe. This is a preliminary operation to get you acquainted with how the DF feels and what Fiend operations usually look like. Our reports show that the Fiend infection is limited.”

“Boring, in other words,” Sean chuckled. His comment drew some ire from Carly, and he gestured animatedly with his hands. “I kid, I kid. The way it’s working right now is that the higher-ups are cracking down on operations with potential for more mistakes, so they’re being extremely selective with who they send out and why.” He shrugged. “Silver Tongue—the name of our DF—has been checked so many times over that you could lick the cockpit floor at this point.”

“If what they said is true, and this is a limited infection, isn’t that a bit overkill?” Lilibelle asked.

“You didn’t hear it from me, but yeah, that’s how Carly and I feel, too.” Sean glanced over his shoulder at the DF. “Personally, I think something else is going on that they’re keeping hush-hush. More and more high-ranking conductors have been biting the dust lately, so I’m guessing they want to make extra sure that nothing like the Ref-Fiend happens again.”

“Ref-Fiend?” Karl said.

“Fiends with the ability to repel high velocity weaponry,” Carly explained. “They’re showing up more often, and the reports state that they’re beginning to understand how our weapons work. So, they came up with a term for them.”

“That must be the one Instructor Kuuna was talking about,” Lilibelle said.

“Most likely,” Sean said, nodding. “That one lit a fire under our asses. Not sure what’s going on, but like Carly said, the Fiends seem to be adjusting. They’re getting smarter, acting in ways they haven’t before, and in an alarmingly short period of time. Deadeye figures that until we have more information, we can’t be too careful.”

“You don’t sound like you agree with any of this,” Karl said.

Sean shook his head. “That’s because I don’t. Being careful is all well and good to a point, but our job’s dangerous. If we’re too cautious, we won’t get anything done. No one is promised tomorrow.”

Karl avoided glancing at Lilibelle. She had to be gloating to herself right about now.

“Sean, don’t scare the kid,” Carly said, holding one arm behind her back.

“He’s aware,” Sean said, a defensiveness tinting his tone.

“Don’t let Sean spook you,” Carly said after locking eyes with Sean for a few seconds. “This is a standard Fiend run. We’ll be fine.”

“I’m not particularly worried. I trust you guys,” Karl said.

Lilibelle hummed. “I’m going to look for my instructors.”

Sean and Carly nodded.

“Take care,” Sean said, waving.

“Pay close attention to your seniors!” Carly added.

Lilibelle nodded, then turned around and left without another word.

“Is she okay?” Sean asked.

“I think so,” Karl said.

“She came with you. Is she your partner?” Carly asked.

“Yes. We struggled in the beginning, but we’re getting along, I think.” Karl looked past Carly at the DF. “So, how does this work?”

Sean smiled wide. “I’ll fill you in.” He waved him over, and Karl moved to stand between them, peering at the DF below through the chain link fence. “This is your second ride-along, right?”

Karl nodded.

“Great. I’ll explain a couple of things just in case. So, like before, there’ll be a third seat in the central unit. That’s the cockpit. You’ll be on my side of the room. They’ll link you in just as before, except this time you’re going to experience everything.”

Karl went wide-eyed. “Everything?”

“The whole shebang,” Sean said. “It’s going to feel a little different from the simulations, but if you’ve been able to handle those, then you’ll be fine. You’ll be sharing a lot of my senses, but the system is smart enough to disconnect us if anything serious happens. Don’t worry about working alongside me or making any unnecessary movements. The DF won’t respond to you, so you can kick and scream all you like.”

“Sean.” Carly pulled him by the ear. “What did I say?”

Sean snickered and gently pried Carly’s hand away from his ear. He raised his brows. “Anyways, it sounds like Carly wants to talk now. Take it away, darling.”

Carly clicked her tongue and rolled her eyes. “Thank you.” She leaned toward Karl, and he was made suddenly aware of how soft and fragrant and fair her skin was. He swallowed hard and drew a deep breath, and forced himself to look at the DF. “Like we said before, we will engage the Fiends in combat. The reports state that it’s a swarm of grunt-class Fiends. That… hmm. Actually…” She smiled wide. “Can you tell me what a grunt-class Fiend is?”

“The smallest class of Fiend known,” Karl said, easily reciting the answer verbatim. Then he added, “Their sizes can vary, but they’re not typically any larger than the extinct grizzly bear.”

“Very good! All right, let’s move on. The Fiends are on the move from the coast of Zhutanach, a small island roughly two hundred forty kilometers away.” She put a hand on his shoulder and looked through the fence with him. “They emerged from the ocean, so we’re going down to wipe them out before they can grow and make their way to the mainland.”

“What about the people on Zhutanach?”

Sean and Carly fell silent.

“They didn’t make it,” Sean said. “By the time we found out what was happening, they were already dead.”

He thought about what Kuuna said. It hurt to think that thousands of people were suddenly gone, just like that. But such catastrophes were what had prompted him to join Deadeye in the first place. He wanted to prevent disasters like that from happening.

“I’m eager to get down there and take them out,” Karl said.

“Whoa, whoa, let’s hang on there,” Sean said. “Remember, you’re just there to watch and take it in. We’ll do the rest.”

“Right. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be,” Carly said. “I share your desire for vengeance. It’s terrible what happened to those people. Hang in there and I’m sure you’ll make a great conductor.”

“What she said,” Sean said. “You’ll get your chance. Promise.”

Karl forced himself to smile and tried not to think about what happened to Zhutanach. “I appreciate the vote of confidence. I want to do my part. I hope I can do this.”

“You can. No hoping. Only doing. We got enough hope.”

Karl nodded.

Their conversation continued, and Karl held onto every word. His role in the operation was simple: stay put, pay attention, and use the knowledge gained to fight another day.

When time was up and the operation was to begin, the mechanic swung open the door and explained the adjustments he’d made to the DF. Sean and Carly listened intently, asking occasional questions regarding the integrity of the hull. The mechanic was rough around the edges, but knew his stuff. The hull had taken considerable damage during their last operation, and it was Sean and Carly’s prime concern.

“Sounds like we’re good to go,” Sean said, ushering Karl and Carly forward.

Karl walked the bridge until he came to the DF’s side. A thick release of air blew out from underneath the head as the gears unhinged. Slowly, the head cocked backward to allow entry. Carly entered first, descending the step ladder inside. She landed with a hop, clapped her hands, then held them up to gesture Karl down.

“In you go,” Sean said.

“Your turn, Karl!” Carly called.

Karl inhaled a deep breath, then turned around and carefully descended the ladder. Carly kept her hands up the entire time, and although it made him feel like a little kid, he tried to appreciate the fact that she’d catch him if he fell.

He reached the bottom, then turned around. The cockpit was made of black metal. No less than a dozen monitors lit up with myriad information regarding the DF’s status. Three seats were bolted to the floor, with two of them on one half of the room—for him and Sean—and the third on the opposite half, forming a leaning triangle between them. There was a greater distance between the two seats compared to how close they were in the simulations. That, and unlike the seats, which could rotate in the simulation, these were large and metallic, with large wires hanging out of them.

Those will be hooked into my suit the entire time.

Sean came down while Karl daydreamed what conducting his own DF would be like. He landed the same way Carly had, then walked over to the pair of seats, taking the one closer to the monitors. “Know how to hook in?”

“Yes!” Karl took the seat beside situated a few paces away from Sean and pressed a button beneath the left armrest while Sean and Carly had the ladder extracted. Tiny metal doors opened up on the sides of the chair. He reached into the top-most alcove on the left side of the chair—inside the armrest—and retrieved a thick cable with a blue color. Swallowing the knot in his throat, he steadied his breathing and connected it to the node close to his wrist, then twisted it until it clicked into place. It hissed, and an indicator on screen confirmed it had been correctly attached. He did this with the remaining cables, two for each limb, then clicked the V-shaped seatbelt into the socket between his legs. Once they were connected, he tugged on them to make sure they were secure, then buckled in. “Okay. I think I’m good.”

“You know your stuff,” Sean said. “This’ll be a fun ride.”

The cables wouldn’t create a link with the DF—not a true one. In an emergency, the link could be rerouted to interlace with his suit, but the main purpose behind these tubes was to ensure he knew how the attachments worked and to monitor his vitals. A system separate from the main interface checked to make sure the neurolink cables were fastened correctly, but they were otherwise useless barring extraordinary circumstances.

Sean and Carly moved with the experience of conductors who’d been doing this for years. Once the cables were hooked into their neurosuits and the systems were online, Sean slipped his communicator over his ear.

“This is Haze, please respond,” Sean said.

“Copy that. Read you loud and clear,” a man—most likely the operator—on the other end said.

“This is Azure, please respond,” Carly said.

“Copy that. Coming in crystal,” the operator said.

“System operations reading one hundred percent,” Sean said as he started flipping switches. “Initiating concealment.” At that, the head gradually lowered over them with a mechanical hum. As it settled over the core, it locked into place, and the room darkened. The hissing of air followed, and Karl rocked his jaw as his ears popped. “Concealment complete. Central unit integrity is stable. Initiating gravity stabilizers.”

Karl hated this part. To ensure the conductors could withstand the speeds and sudden quick motions that were expected of DFs, the central unit—which was the hull they were residing in—was coupled with gravity-fighting technology that made the experience tolerable for human brains. It felt like someone placed his head in a vice and squeezed the muscles in his limbs. It was not a pleasant feeling.

“Boosters reading one hundred percent,” Sean continued. “Requesting permission to launch.”

“Copy that. Permission granted. Initiating launch protocols,” the operator said.

The cockpit shook, and Karl could feel it moving forward. Even with how dense the DF units were, he could still hear the clicking and whirring of gears underneath, muffled as they were. The DF came to a stop. The cockpit rotated to the right, and an alarm blared.

“All personnel are to leave the launch area.” It was the hangar’s automated system speaking now. Its tone resembled that of a woman who was all business. “Repeat. All personnel are to leave the launch area.”

Karl leaned back and shut his eyes.

The timer ticked down from three minutes. Some of the most painful and anxiety-inducing minutes of his life.

“Hang in there, you’re going to be fine. I promise,” Carly said.

He nodded, but he kept his eyes shut. When the timer reached the last ten seconds, he gripped the armrests as hard as he could.

“Here we go!” Sean said.

The locks holding the DF released, and an audible clink followed as the DF was maneuvered to the launching treads beneath them. He held his breath. The cockpit shook as the launching treads guided the DF along the rails, gluing him to his seat. There was a sharp incline immediately after, and it felt as if someone had placed hundreds of bricks on the front of his body.

Sean whooped with excitement the entire time.

Seconds passed, and when Karl could no longer hear the alarm, a sensation like floating swept over him. Batting his eyes open, he exhaled the breath he’d been holding. Sean’s and Carly’s hands expertly moved from lever to lever, switch to switch.

“All set, Sean,” Carly said.

“Great.” His hand hovered over a translucent red cover. He flipped it open to reveal a metal switch. “Ever experience a full thrust?”

Karl stared at the chrome-colored switch. “In… the simulations, yes.”

“Let me tell you something. They’re nothing like the simulations. This stuff?” He clicked his tongue in rapid succession. “This stuff goes hard. Hang tight and lean back.”

Karl did as he was asked.

Sean flicked the switch.

A violent thrust pinned Karl to his seat. He should’ve vomited or screamed or fell unconscious, anything at all. But instead, pure adrenaline coursed through his veins. It was empowering, placing silly little notions in his head that he could accomplish anything and no one would ever stop him. It was addicting. He licked his lips, hoping that it would never stop.

Sean was right. This was nothing like the simulations.