REASONS TO FIGHT

Damian tapped his slate, and a chorus of pings went around the circle, inviting everyone to connect their devices.

Will agreed, and soon his slate was populated with dozens of files—the first being the psionographs and environmental data. Flicking through the files, Will couldn't hide his surprise: the signature readings from the etherite crystal were missing from the report.

Ignoring the trickle of sweat on his brow, Will maintained a mask of composure. Damian had thought ahead and removed the data to avoid any unwanted questions.

Will skimmed through the other files and found no changes; the mech specifications and other details remained untouched.

So engrossed was he by the data that he missed the urgent murmurs going around the circle.

"—readings from a mech. A web walker!" Natalia gasped.

"The Bishop?! The Revanant head? It can't be!" Yacob exclaimed.

They looked at Damian for an explanation, but he remained silent, waiting for the rest to finish examining the data.

"How? From who?" Faris spluttered, and Trapper waved a hand toward Will and Becca. "That explains their presence."

The group collectively glanced at Will and Becca.

"This is the sensor data from the Bishop's mech," Damian interjected, pulling back their attention. "From the psionograph, we've made some educated guesses about his route map."

"This is quite extensive," Yacob said, scrolling through the data.

"Look at the most recent entries," said Damian.

Will's heartbeat sped up as the group examined the alarming signature readings. The spikes in radiation were unmistakable. Damian had attached notes to each data point, the annotations detailing a chain of disturbing events, culminating in one final, devastating conclusion.

Silence fell among the group.

"Ladies and gentlemen, it has happened," Damian said gravely. "The worst possible scenario—the one the military and the Tower have been dreading. The nukes of old have reached the Tower."

The air hung heavy between them. Yacob tapped his armrest uneasily while Lawson scanned the circle calmly, assessing.

Finally, Faris spoke. "How reliable is this information?"

"You recall the Derbent incident?"

"Yes? The Revenant were involved, from what I heard."

"They were hunting Marcus Crowley, the mad bomber. He had defected. Everything you see here comes from him."

"The Revenant have been losing their grip on their members. Lots of disappearances," Yacob chimed in.

"No one has ever managed to get their core members to talk," Damian continued. "This is the first time we've had a close look into their organization. This is it, people—this might be our one chance to put them down for good."

"There are bounties on the Revenant," said Natalia. "Never paid it any mind 'cause it wasn't worth the risk."

Trapper shook his head, and Faris looked skeptical. The heavily muscled man waved his slate in front of him. "One question before we go any further—how is your cousin involved in this?"

Will felt his pulse quicken. Here it is.

Damian had his hands steepled in front of him. "I can't say."

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"Can't say or won't say?" Faris pressed.

"I can't say."

"Dammit, Damian," Faris snapped. "You need to give us something."

Will's breath caught in his throat as he tried to keep his expression schooled.

"I thought family was off-limits," Yacob interjected.

Trapper dismissed his objection. "And we wouldn't be asking if it wasn't serious."

Will frowned. Trapper was going off script. He looked at his former instructor and saw those vivid green eyes flick toward him before continuing.

"We've all heard the background chatter about something big going down. But a nuke? How did some backwater terror group manage that?" Trapper questioned.

Will felt a chill go down his spine. What was he doing? Was Trapper going to throw them under the bus?

"I say we go after the Revenant," said Yacob.

"Then put it to a vote," Trapper challenged. "I'm against."

"No from me as well," said Natalia.

"I'm leaning towards no," said Faris.

Will's heart sank with each vote. That was three against. Things were going horribly wrong.

"Lawson?" Natalia turned to Lawson, who was still sitting calmly, watching.

"I'll be staying neutral," she said simply. "All I'm going to say is if we're going to do this, the vote should be unanimous. Either we all go, or not at all."

"Then it's decided," said Trapper.

Will tried to rein in his emotions. Trapper was really going against them. A creak came from beside Will, and he saw Becca gripping her armrest tightly, looking pissed.

Faris leaned back in his seat. "Just leak the information to the Tower and let them handle it themselves."

"Good plan," Trapper nodded. "You got anything more to add, Damian?"

"Just two points," said Damian. "You're right—a backwater terror group can't produce a nuke. I suspect they got their hands on one of the old derelicts and refurbished it."

"That still needs skills and expertise," said Trapper.

"Exactly," Damian nodded. "We've skimmed through the Webwalker's design, but look here."

Damian directed them to files indicating the core specs of the Bishop's mech. The advanced mech synchronization and power convergence were plain to see.

"So I ask you this," Damian continued. "How did the Bishop come by the most advanced mech the Tower has to offer?"

Another chorus of surprised mutterings rippled through the circle.

"Or get the technical know-how to maintain it," Trapper muttered, tapping his chin.

The answer was self-evident, striking the group the moment the question left Trapper's mouth. The secrets of the Tower could only come from the Tower itself.

A sharp crack sounded as Faris gripped his slate so hard the screen cracked.

"Treachery!" he breathed angrily.

"The Tower is compromised. A leak to them is just alerting the Revenant," said Damian.

"The military then," Faris said, breathing heavily, trying to control his temper.

Damian shook his head. "And that brings up my second point."

He had them go back to the environmental data. Will watched the dates scroll by and was surprised when they went further back than the day of the airship bombings. There were scant few files beyond that date, and Will had yet to give them a detailed inspection.

More notes were attached to the psionograph, and Will opened them, curious. What on earth had Damian found?

"These are the earliest signature readings from the data set," said Damian. "The location is Derbent, and judging by the signal decay, the Bishop is somewhere deep in the mines."

"How is this relevant?" Faris asked.

"As you can see, Bishop made several forays into the mines," Damian pointed out. "Once in October, then in December. Then more in January. Each time, the expedition went deeper. On January 27th, they reached the maximum depth. Take a look at the signature reading."

Natalia tapped the screen, looking bewildered. "That's a subspace line?"

"Notice anything interesting?" Damian asked.

Will looked at the graph and saw the periodic sinusoidal wave. The strength of the subspace came and went like the tide. But one thing was clear—it was gaining in power with each cycle.

"That's a freaking gate… and it's getting stronger," Natalia said, looking alarmed.

"The formation of a permanent gate, just like the one that kicked off the last war," Damian said grimly.

Alarmed mutters rippled through the circle.

"Good Lord. If this gets out…"

A chill ran down Will's spine as he pictured a world engulfed in nuclear fire. Another Final October.

"Who knows?" Faris asked, his voice low.

"Right now, just us," said Damian.

"The military will secede," Faris said. "The only thing keeping the two factions together is the construction of the next Titan. With a permanent gate, however, the military can go back to the old methods and build it without the Tower."

Natalia let out a shocked gasp, and Will could guess her thoughts without them even being spoken. Her hometown in Serkvan Valley existed only due to military protection.

"The factions cannot splinter. This must never happen," Damian said, looking serious. "We are on the precipice of deciding the fate of our entire world."

He plucked the carved lizard head off his necklace and placed it on the table.

"So I ask you this—am I going to go at this alone, or are you with me?" Damian challenged.

Yacob placed his carving on the table without hesitation. "I'm in!"

Faris hesitated, but he too placed his on the table.

Natalia followed suit with a nod, along with Lawson.

They all turned to Trapper, who had a frown on his face. For a brief second, he looked at Will—then placed his carving on the table with a smile. "It's unanimous, then!"

A surge of relief passed through Will. This was it. They were really going to do it. Euphoric, he watched the rest of the table exchange nods.

"Alright, team. Let's stop the Revenant!" declared Damian.

The fight was on!

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