The Iron Pillars

Chapter 31

Early the next morning, Brant stood nestled between several piles of boxes in the cargo hold of one of Ryder's transport vehicles. The floor rumbled beneath his feet in time with the thumping engine. His heart beat about double as fast, along with his throbbing head. They only had two hours to extract Baird and Khemera, and he was unsure if they could make it in time. 

Leaning forward, he could peek through a little square of glass to view the cabin beyond, where Ryder and two of his men sat and navigated the truck-turning-submarine. Peering farther, he could see out the windshield. The water level ascended the pane of glass as they drove off the beach and came to a sandy slope. 

Before long, the entire vehicle became submerged. Brant heard a mechanical groan as the wheels retracted and thrusters emerged from the sides of the vehicle. With a lurch, they propelled through the water. Sea creatures washed past the glass as they progressed, increasing in size and number the farther they dove. The other three cargo vessels floated alongside theirs. 

With a sigh, Brant glanced into the opposite corner of the cargo hold, where Hannah sat in a huddle of containers. Her face bore an even heavier load of makeup now, as Ryder had insisted on applying a new coat as a part of their morning preparations. Proving himself oddly proficient at the application of beauty products, Ryder had injected a certain darkness into Hannah's aesthetic, using eyeliners, mascaras, and concealers aplenty. Unlike Wendy, he'd applied a touch of concealer to Hannah's cheeks in order to hide her dimples. 

Brant currently winced as he stared at Hannah. Truly, all the dark makeup on her face masked the pure young woman she was underneath. If he tried hard enough, Brant found himself able to imagine it wasn't Hannah he eyed at all. When she met his eyes, he shot a quick smile her way, which she returned eagerly. Her natural expression proved incongruent with her new appearance. 

Sweeping his gaze further right, Brant spotted Aaron, cozied up in his hiding spot with a laptop resting atop a tall box. Long sequences of numbers ran across the display that shone so brightly into his reddened eyes. Poor guy, Brant thought as he studied his haggard face. The man had labored all the previous day in searching for a vulnerability to exploit in Unterstat's security systems, which proved much harder than he'd anticipated. All through the night, he'd continued to work, until this morning, only about half an hour ago, he'd exclaimed that he'd figured it out. 

Finally, Brant rested his eyes on the other two men sheltered in the cargo hold, Kemarian men dressed in crisp navy blue suits just like the ones he and Aaron wore. Ryder had given them the outfits to wear to blend in as employees of Ford Fashion. Hannah wore the female version of their uniform, a muted violet women's business suit with a skirt and matching boots. 

Brant adjusted the wide-brimmed hat on his head and cleared his throat. "I sure hope this works." he said to nobody in particular. 

Aaron glanced up sharply at the sound of his voice. "It's gonna have to." 

Brant nodded and exhaled, but no more words were spoken. For half an hour, they continued cruising through the water teeming with creatures small and great. It grew murkier as they dove deeper, causing even Brant's enhanced vision to be limited in scope. 

Eventually, they came close enough that he could see a great metal mesh comprising a protective dome around a bustling city. He'd seen pictures of the city-state of Unterstat before, but never in person had he seen its almost otherworldly beauty. The city itself seemed to glow as the light streaming from the buildings' windows illuminated the water around it. 

Ryder maneuvered the vehicle to one of the gateways, where a pre-recorded voice ordered them to wait. His companions' vessels settled themselves behind him. Only a few seconds later, a metal pole jutted out from the sand nearby, with a bulbous attachment up top. When a reddish beam shot from the bulb, Brant guessed it was a scanner.