The Dead Fleet (Juggernaut #3)

Twenty Four

And there it was. The Truth. Hitting harder than any punch.

'Slaves? You're using the colonists as slaves?'

'My employer prefers to think of them as a motivated workforce.'

'Is my father there?'

Typhon shrugged. 'Who knows, Tila?'

'Conway knows. He's going to suffer for this.'

'Is he really?' said Typhon with a smirk. 'How, exactly? First you have to escape this ship, then you have to escape the fleet, and then you have to make it back to Commonwealth space.'

'I'll get there. We'll get there.'

'There's no shortcuts, Tila. There's only one way out, and that's through me.'

'Then I go through you.'

Now it was Tila's turn to attack. She threw herself at Typhon with renewed vigor and fresh anger. He stood in the way of their escape and while that should be enough motivation for her Typhon had revealed another truth about the colony mission.

They needed to win. They needed to escape. Ever since they found the ship buried within the Juggernaut the need to win had only grown stronger.

At first it was the need to learn the truth about what happened. That mystery had only deepened even as it led them to the Solar Forge. Now they were trapped outside the borders of the Commonwealth, and what drove Tila was the need to keep her friends alive and unharmed and get them home.

But now this. The colonists were alive. The colonists were being used as slave labour to mine the asteroids.

Tila still didn't understand why but it hardly mattered. Her father could be among them. If she didn't escape the dead fleet and get back to Commonwealth space anything could happen to them. She could lose her father all over again.

That wasn't going to happen.

Tila had heard the term righteous fury. Now she felt it. Hot and white and pure, it fired through every neuron. It burned through every nerve.

Tila launched herself across the platform in a flurry of savage punches, kicks, elbows and knees. Every strike was on target. Each one flowed from the last and into the next. If dances had rhythm this was a drum roll.

For the first time Typhon was on the defensive. Something new had been unleashed in this girl.

Typhon moved backward with every strike. He rolled tense shoulders and arms into punches to block them. He twisted hips to deflect kicks and knees. But he still moved backward.

Tila pressed on, grunting with every swing. Her forearms bruised with each blocked strike. Her hips grew tired from kicks that didn't slow him. And Typhon stopped retreating.

He countered. His right fist snapped into the side of Tila's head. She spun to the floor.

Tila kept rolling, desperate for distance, fearing the follow up that never came.

Typhon hadn't moved. He stood there, head down, hands up, a boxers stance. Breathing hard. Watching. Waiting.

Tila cautiously climbed to her feet. Her jaw ached and her head pounded but nothing was broken.

I've hurt him, she realised. But that was everything I had. Come on Malachi....

Typhon rolled his head and his neck cracked.

'We are getting out of here. I promise you.' Tila shifted her feet, readied herself. Took a breath she hoped was not her last.

'How, Tila? When?'

'Now!' she shouted.

Typhon clapped his hands and the gauntlets flared white pain.

Tila stepped forward, turned, moved her weight from one leg to the other and leapt.

Typhon stepped forward, brought one electric fist back and started to swing.

Malachi threw the staff.

Tila entered the butterfly twist. She saw Malachi on the ground below. His throw was good. The short staff popped through a diamond hole. Tila snatched it from the air and squeezed and released.

Typhon's lead foot stamped down, claiming the ground. His fist swung around and down, aiming for where Tila had been.

The staff snapped open. Centrifugal force carried it through Tila's hand. She caught it at one and. Tila powered through the twist. Took the staff in both hands and brought it through the arc.

Typhon over-extended and his punch went low. Tila's rose over his attack and brought the end of the staff down on his head like a steep whip.

Typhon collapsed. The blow would have dropped a man wearing a helmet. Typhon had nothing.

Tila gave everything to the attack. The landing was secondary. She fell on top of him, winding herself on his skull. Blood flowed from his scalp and he didn't move, but he was still breathing.

She planted the staff on his back and used it to pull herself to her feet. Now her head and jaw was starting to ache.

Tila reached the console and threw the lever.

'Go,' she shouted for Malachi's benefit.

The chains started up once again. Ellie clung there, fear and gratitude and hope combined into one pale face. Malachi jumped on the last big link before it left the ground.

'Tila, the console. You have to make sure he can't shut it down.'

No escape yet then, Tila thought. But what could she do? Tila wedged the staff under the lever and pulled. Maybe she could break it? She planted one foot on the console and strained but there was no give at all.

Typhon groaned and started to push himself up on gloved hands.

'Use the gloves. Fry it!' called Malachi.

Tila swiftly kicked Typhon in the head and pulled his gauntlets free. Hurrying, she tucked the staff in place on her back and pulled on the gloves. They were an awkward fit on her smaller hands. She flexed her fingers and made fists until somehow she got them to work, and they flared to life. Tila planted both palms on the console and power surged through the electronics. White sparks lit up the buttons and tendrils of energy curled around the controls and the console died.

But the chain kept going up, and was nearly out of reach.

Tila grabbed the lever and pulled but it was dead.

Tila hopped onto the console and stepped across the gap to the guardrail. She pulled the gauntlets off and threw them to the factory floor as far as she could in different directions.

Then she leaped one last time in the refinery. She caught the smaller links at the end of the chain, and together with the chain clanking all the way, they rose into the darkness.