The stairs led to a broken door, barely hanging onto its hinges, which opened onto the roof. With cautious steps Roman made his way to the edge and squinted against the sun as he looked down at the station. As far as he could see, it was deserted.
The station was huge, probably close to a mile across, filled with giant steel machines that looked as dead and broken down as the rest of Legacy. Dozens of giant towers were scattered throughout it, linked by thick black wires. A part of Roman wondered what the place had looked like before the Days of Fire, and what it would take to restore it. He pushed his thoughts away — Roman the historian wasn’t going to help Ruby. Roman the bounty hunter was.
He moved his gaze to the barren wasteland beyond the station. A chain of steel towers, each linked by hundreds of yards of wires, stretched out from the station to the horizon, where the giant turbines of the wind farms stood.
Caleb stepped up beside Roman. “Something is wrong,” he said. “No bodies.”
Roman nodded. If Candle and his pack of Adrenalites had taken over the station, it would have been a bloody fight, but there was no sign of that. Strange.
“Well, let me guess your next plan.” Tan took a step forward, balancing precariously on the edge of the roof, arms outstretched. “You want to go exploring this eerily empty and potentially dangerous hell?”
Roman shrugged. “Not much else left to do.”
“That doesn’t make it a good option.”
Caleb raised an eyebrow. “What happened to your optimism?”
“Optimism is like virginity.” Tan gave a thin smile. “You get fucked, just once, and it’s gone forever. And right now, we’re definitely—”
“Hold up.” Caleb pointed down at the station. “You see that?”
Below, a figure darted between the buildings. They weren’t wearing amour, so it wasn’t a militia. That didn’t leave many other options. Roman scanned the rest of the compound. He motioned towards a second figure moving between shadows. “There’s another one.”
“Juliette was right,” Caleb said. “Candle’s here.”
Tan cocked his head sideways, puzzled. “Still don’t make no sense. If Candle’s taken over this station, how come he hasn’t cut the power to the city?”
“I don’t know,” Roman said. “But I think the only way we’re gonna get answers is if we beat them out of Candle.”
“That’s pretty much your answer to everything isn’t it?”
“It’s worked before.”
Roman turned back to the stairs but Tan caught him by the arm. “This isn’t one of those times, Boss. We can’t just walk into a gang of Adrenalites and abduct their leader.”
“Do you have a better plan?”
“Literally anything else would be a better plan.”
“We. Don’t. Have. Anything. Else.” Roman pulled his arm free. “And waiting isn’t going to change that.”
“We’ll die!”
It was disconcerting to see Tan so scared. He had never looked more sober then he did right now. Roman turned away, unable to meet his friend’s eye, and started towards the stairs. “You don’t have to come with me,” he said quietly.
“That’s not an option. Either way, we do this as a team.”
Roman paused mid-step. “I won’t ask you to risk your life. Not again. Not if you don’t want to.”
There was a silence that seemed to stretch on painfully long.
Tan let out a long sigh. “I don’t want to die. But, after my brother killed himself, I learned that there’s something worse than dying — being the last one left alive.” He paused. “So I guess I’d rather die down there with you, than go back to drinking alone.”
“Thank you, Tan.” Saying thanks didn’t feel enough. Roman wished he had the proper words to describe his full gratitude. “When I hired you, I got more than I could have hoped for.”
“It’s because you offered me more than I deserved.”
“Hey, you sentimental idiots,” Caleb grunted. “You might want to check this out.”
Roman walked back to the ledge. Caleb was pointing at the street they had come down ten minutes before.
The militia had arrived. There were well over a hundred, maybe almost two hundred — far more than Roman had ever seen before. Like a swarm of ants, they clambered over piles of rubble blocking the road. The morning sunlight glinted off their weapons.
“Well… shit,” Caleb muttered.
Roman nodded in agreement. “It’s almost ironic, isn’t it?”
“Hm?”
“I spent so long wishing Juliette would actually use the militia. And now she finally has.” Roman’s hands curled into fists. “Just when I don’t want her to.”
A shout came from the station below. Roman spotted an Adrenalite running between the buildings, then another. One by one, more appeared as they activated themselves and their blue glow revealed them. Soon there were over two dozen visible throughout the station.
The militia must have seen the Adrenalites too, because they broke into a sprint, charging over the rubble towards the station, bellowing angry threats. The first gunshots rang out as militia fired into the air. Roman knew he had to get moving, but he couldn’t tear his eyes away. This is the power of the Ministry…
Caleb grabbed him by the arm and pulled him from the ledge. “Come on.”
As they made their way down the stairs Roman gripped his revolver tight. Two shots left. It didn’t feel like enough, but it would have to do.
PART FOUR
The Station
27
Sparks stood atop the debris of a house and watched the battle begin. He was almost shaking with excitement. This was a fight he could have only dreamed of: a final confrontation between the militia and the Adrenalites, between Juliette and Candle.
He couldn’t wait to join in.
Two militia stood by the front gate to the station. Whether they were too cowardly to enter with the rest of the army, or whether they had been instructed to wait outside, Sparks didn’t know. Or care. As he approached the station he pulled out his activation needle, tossed the now empty satchel into the gutter, and pierced the needle into his forearm.
The familiar warmth of being activated rushed through him, his second heart settling into an eager pulse. He strode boldly down the centre of the road. Both militia were too busy watching the station to notice him. One was armed with a crossbow, the other with a machete. They both slowly retreated from the gate as if a horde of Adrenalites were going to burst through at any moment.
Sparks stepped in between them. “I can’t find my date,” he said casually. “You haven’t seen a man named Candle, have you?”
They both spun to face him, eyes going wide. Sparks kicked the machete-armed militia in the groin, then snatched the blade out of his hands. The militia stumbled backwards, bent over, clutching his privates. Sparks spun the machete in a wide curve, slicing through the man’s neck.
Sparks turned to his next opponent, who was hastily raising his crossbow as he retreated. Sparks moved his blade directly in front of the crossbow, flat edge facing forward. The militia fired. The bolt hit the blade with the clang of metal striking metal, then spun away uselessly.
The militia tossed his weapon to the ground and fled. Coward. Sparks threw the machete after him. It struck just below the neck, burying itself up to the hilt. The militia toppled to the ground, making a gurgling noise as he drowned in his own blood.
Sparks could have laughed. How the hell had the militia ever expected to win versus Adrenalites? It wasn’t a fair fight.