Ultima Ratio

Chapter 68: Garden of Eden

The squad split up, carefully climbing onto the self-driving carts and lying flat on top of the boxes. Immediately after she was settled in, Akira adjusted the settings of her camouflage; if all went well, the impending sensors should detect her as lifeless cargo instead of a mysterious, abnormally shaped weight added to the load.

It was another seventeen minutes before they began to move, and the procession of cars chugged along as they passed through the cargo gate. Akira was first, and she stared at the sensor above her with unblinking eyes, as if her focus could keep its light from turning red. Thankfully, her tactic worked, and both Avalon and Eden's sensors remained gorgeously green.

Just as Akira let out a breath of relief, a harsh beep echoed throughout Eden's central ring, and the gray ceiling was washed with a faint red glow.

She froze, not wanting to breathe or blink out of fear of drawing attention to herself. It was a slight comfort when her car continued to move, and she watched her earpiece's display to track the others. At first, it looked like everyone continued the procession down the hall, until she realized two dots were frozen in place: Navin at the gate, and Jivan behind him.

"What's the holdup?" a worker's voice echoed from down the hall.

"Weight's off," another said with a grunt before releasing a heavy sigh. "It's at least twenty kilos over the allowable."

"Probably another high-roller trying to sneak in unregistered weapons again. Honestly, they need to at least try to be discreet. Just push it through, and they'll thank us for it later."

"Can't you see I'm trying? Stop laughing and just help me! What kind of weapon did they commission? A boulder of lead?"

Akira could only breathe properly when both of the Guptas began to move again.

When there was no one in the vicinity aside from the parade of cars, Akira rolled off the cargo and reverted to her normal camouflage, and the rest of her team followed as they regrouped. A quick check of their digital map showed them as a cluster of dots on the aft end of Eden; at the forwardmost point was a blinking red triangle—the residence and office of Verus Rex.

Akira hadn't realized she inhaled sharply until she heard the air rush between her trembling lips. She clamped her mouth shut immediately, as if that would cut off her emotions, but it was no use. Her eyes saw nothing but an explosion on a TV screen, and with every loop, the flames grew brighter, her breaths ended quicker, and her body trembled harder.

Fifteen years ago, her mom had arrived in Concordia to barter for peace, receiving death and war instead. Now, Akira was there to end the war, and she wasn't open for negotiations.

A hand wrapped around her own clenched fingers, and even through her gloves, Akira recognized the sensation immediately. She could only see Danya's green outline next to her, but Akira quickly replaced the raging fire in her mind with the memories of Danya's warm smile. It wasn't long before her shaking fingers stilled and loosened around her gun, and after gratefully squeezing Danya's hand, Akira led the Aegis Squad onward.

They rushed forward through the bright hallway as quietly as they could, keeping an eye out for any chance to enter the central city undetected. While the bustling streets would likely prolong their journey, it would only be a matter of time before they encountered a roving security bot in the circular passage. So at the first sight of a worker opening a door inwards, the squad scrambled after them.

As soon as they entered the city, they were met by a utopian paradise. The shining silver skyscrapers of the downtown district were laced with greenery curling up their walls; none of them had sections missing from recent attacks. Pristine roads and rail lines weaved throughout the cityscape; all were well-maintained as if resource shortages didn't exist. Young children and their parents strolled down the sidewalk, laughing and chatting; families hadn't been ripped apart by unemployment, enlistments, and deaths.