‘Where now?’ Anne asked, looking around frantically.
‘We need to get outside,’ Sam said. ‘There’s got to be another stairway around here, somewhere that leads to the outside of the dome. The only safe place that the drop-ship can pick us up from is the roof.’ He ran around the narrow gallery, the unearthly hiss from the seething black mass amplified by the dome’s acoustics, making it seem like it came from all directions at once. There was an opening in the wall several metres away with another sign next to it showing a staircase leading up to the ‘Stone Gallery’.
‘Here!’ Sam yelled, pointing at the doorway and glancing down at the scene below. His breath caught in his throat as he saw the tiny skittering shapes that made up the leading edge of the black mass only a few metres below them. At the same instant a flood of black burst forth from the stairwell they had just left, spreading across the walls and floor like some kind of sentient oil slick.
‘Go!’ Sam yelled as Anne and Mag ducked through the narrow doorway leading further up into the tower. He dashed back towards Jay and Will, who were making their way there as quickly as Will’s injury would allow. Sam looped Will’s free arm back over his shoulders and the three of them hurried for the stairs. There was a shriek of twisting metal and Sam looked over his shoulder to see the leading edges of the main bulk of the swarm climbing up and over the lip of the narrow walkway, just ten metres behind them. As the first tendrils crept across the walkway, he could finally make out what made up the seething mass: thousands of tiny scurrying black insectile machines poured across the grey stone, each with smooth segmented backs and sharp, grasping mouths. The tiny machines moved in perfect unison, as only machines could, giving the impression of one giant, directed mass. They made Sam’s skin crawl.
‘You’ve got to be kidding,’ Jay said as they covered the last few metres to the doorway and looked at the staircase leading further up inside. It was made of black cast iron and spiralled tightly upwards into the gloom above. It was only wide enough for one person at a time; there was no way that they’d be able to help Will up there. Jay whirled around and slammed the heavy fire door shut, blocking the entrance to the stairwell and plunging it even further into gloomy darkness.
‘Have we got any grenades left?’ Will asked, tipping his head back and looking at the hundreds of steps that led up to the next level.
‘I’ve got a couple,’ Jay said, ‘but we know they won’t stop them for long. They’re not going to buy us enough time.’
‘Give them to me,’ said Will, a look of grim determination on his face. ‘I’ll make sure they cause as much damage as possible.’
Jay and Sam exchanged a quick glance; they both knew perfectly well what he meant.
‘Like hell you will,’ Sam said, shaking his head. ‘No one else dies today.’
‘What he said,’ Jay replied with a nod.
‘There’s no way I’m getting up there,’ Will said, wincing in pain and gesturing down at his injured leg.
There was a loud boom as something large slammed against the heavy fire door, buckling its metal frame slightly.
‘Jay, go,’ Sam said. ‘Get to the roof and try and signal the drop-ship to pick us up from there.’
‘I’m not leaving you,’ said Jay. ‘Screw that.’
‘We’ll be right behind you,’ Sam said. ‘Trust me.’
Jay stared at Sam for a moment and then nodded before turning and sprinting up the stairs after Mag and Anne.
‘Get on,’ Sam said, gesturing for Will to climb on to his back.
‘There’s no way you’ll –’
‘Just bloody well get on my back,’ Sam snapped. ‘No time to argue.’ As if to emphasise the point there was another explosive bang from the fire door just a few metres away, the frame buckling still further and dislodging chunks of stone from the surrounding wall. Will ditched his pack and weapon before climbing on to Sam’s back. Sam closed his eyes, willing the Illuminate nanites throughout his body to give him the strength he so desperately needed. A moment later he felt his muscles fill with new-found power and he straightened up, running towards the stairs and sprinting up them three at a time, with Will hanging on for dear life. Sam could barely feel the weight of his friend as he powered up the cast-iron stairs, its centuries-old framework rattling beneath his feet.
They were halfway up when the door at the bottom of the shaft finally gave way and the heaving black mass poured into the stairwell, coating its walls like a thick dark wave. The narrow chamber amplified the scratchy hiss from the pursuing swarm as millions of the tiny black creatures began to scale the staircase and surrounding walls in relentless pursuit of their prey. Sam glanced upwards and saw Jay following Mag and Anne through a doorway filled with daylight just a few metres above them. They were nearly there. He reached the top of the stairs, barely even out of breath and Will climbed down off his back.
‘How the hell did you do that?’ Will asked, looking at Sam with a mixture of amazement and concern.
‘Doesn’t matter,’ Sam replied, still feeling the Illuminate technology fizzing inside him as he glanced down at the swarm that was now halfway up the stairwell and still climbing fast. ‘All that matters now is . . .’
Sam felt a sudden sickening lurch in his stomach as somewhere below them there was the screech of tearing metal and the whole staircase dropped six inches, the walkway leading to the door buckling and tearing loose of its mountings on the wall. Sam didn’t need to give any kind of command to the nanites as he spun around, feeling them coursing through the muscles in his arms, reacting to his wishes at the speed of thought. He struck Will in the chest with a flat palm, hitting him as hard as he dared as the world seemed to drop into slow motion. Will flew backwards through the doorway and landed in a heap on the stone flagstones beyond with a pained grunt as the swarm far below destroyed the last of the staircase supports.
There was another screech of tearing metal and the staircase began to collapse beneath Sam. He took two sprinting strides and leapt for the doorway as the cast-iron structure gave way completely. He landed hard, his chest slamming into the stone slab at the bottom of the doorway and knocking the wind out of him. He clawed at the stone, trying to find some kind of handhold, while his boots frantically flailed against the wall below, unable to get any purchase. He felt himself slipping as the clanging crash of the entire staircase collapsing into the stairwell below filled his ears. Will lifted himself up on to his hands and knees, still dazed from Sam shoving him to safety. Sam reached out to him, but before Will could react Mag sprinted past him, diving towards Sam, arm outstretched. Her hand closed around Sam’s wrist like a vice, the black talons that tipped her fingers digging into his skin, and she grabbed desperately for the door frame with her free hand, just in time to stop them both tumbling into the seething mass that filled the stairwell below them. Jay threw his arms around Mag’s waist to prevent her from sliding over the edge and helped her to pull Sam up and through the doorway and over to where Anne was helping Will to his feet.
‘Thanks,’ Will said, ‘and ouch, by the way.’
‘Sorry, didn’t have time to warn you,’ Sam replied, glancing over his shoulder at the door leading to the stairwell as another roaring hiss came from within. ‘Let’s get the hell out of here.’
Jay and Sam supported Will as the six of them hurried along the narrow terrace that circled the base of the cathedral’s famous dome. A drop-ship streaked past overhead before banking hard and dropping into a hover right next to the stone balustrade that ran around the outside of the walkway, just thirty metres away. Sam watched nervously as the others hurried towards it.
‘Quick, guys,’ Sam yelled, ‘we have to get back to the compound. There’s no telling what . . .’
Suddenly the wall behind Sam exploded outwards, massive stone blocks spinning through the air and demolishing a ten-metre stretch of the outer balustrade. Sam felt the whole building shake beneath his feet and a split second later a flood of tiny metal machines poured
through the hole in the dome. The swarm swept across the floor, hundreds of thousands if not millions of the skittering metallic bugs, racing across the ground towards them in a seething, hissing wave. Sam staggered back to his feet, still screaming at the others to hurry. He watched as Jay and Jack struggled to help Will scramble up the outer wall. Mag and Anne were close behind them, just a few seconds now from the drop-ship’s open hatch and safety.
Sam leapt up and grabbed the top of the balustrade, hauling himself upwards and on to the top of the narrow wall. Jay helped Jack lift Will up and through the hatch, the pair of them following him inside with Anne and Mag up next. Mag turned back to Sam, leaning out of the hatch and offering him her hand. Her eyes filled with horror and Sam spun around just in time to see the black tentacle sweeping through the air towards him. It threw him hard against the crystalline hull of the drop-ship and knocked the wind out of him. He lost his balance, tipping forward and falling down on to the narrow terrace, landing with a crunch before flipping himself over and frantically crawling backwards away from the leading edge of the swarm.
‘Sam!’ Mag screamed, looking as if she was about to jump down after him.
‘Get out of here!’ Sam yelled as the swarm moved between him and the drop-ship, barring his escape route. Another, much larger tentacle burst out of the swarm, swiping at the drop-ship and leaving a glowing scar along its hull. The giant triangular aircraft zipped away from the balustrade, manoeuvring wildly as more flailing tendrils reached out for it. Sam could see that there was no way that it would be able to get close enough to pick him up now. The drop-ship brought its weapons to bear, bright yellow pulses of light streaking out from the cannons mounted on its hull. The shots ripped into the bulk of the swarm, tearing glowing holes in its seething mass, which did nothing to even slow its advance, much less stop it.
He leapt to his feet and sprinted away from the swarm, following the curve of the dome. He had only gone twenty metres when another section of the dome exploded ahead of him and a giant wave of the tiny skittering machines surged through the gap, washing across the cold grey flagstones. The swarm rushed towards Sam like some kind of nightmarish shadow. There was nowhere else to run. He was trapped.
Sam backed up against the wall as the two waves of tiny scuttling creatures closed in on him from both directions, watching the drop-ship dart through the air fifty metres away, trying to avoid the tendrils that continued to whip towards it. There was a flicker of movement on the wall to his left and he felt something land on his shoulder. Looking down, he saw one of the tiny black machines scuttling along his arm. It leapt on to the exposed skin of Sam’s hand and he howled in pain as what felt like a dozen fish hooks latched into his hand and the creature began to gnaw into his flesh. Sam clawed at the thing, trying in vain to rip it off, his fingertips suddenly slippery with the blood that was oozing from beneath its segmented shell. He was seized by a moment of pure panic as the creature slowly started to slip beneath his skin, clawing and burrowing its way inside him. And then blue lines began to race across his forearm and he felt a sudden rush of raw power that continued to build as he collapsed to his knees with an agonised gasp. Sam barely registered the swarm as it hit him, the creatures pouring over him in a wave, surging up and around him, climbing over his chest and neck. He felt the distant sensation of thousands of tiny needles on his face and then everything went white.
A perfect sphere of energy burst out of Sam, vaporising every one of the creatures within a twenty-metre radius. The rest of the swarm recoiled from the gleaming white sphere, which crackled and fizzed. In its centre, Sam hung a metre above the ground with his head thrown back and his eyes wide open. The stonework surrounding him glowed a dull red colour, instantly superheated by the sudden massive release of energy. The drop-ship dived towards the dome as the swarm retreated, then hovered next to the parapet as Sam slowly floated back to the ground. The moment his feet hit the stones the energy field dissipated and he suddenly seemed to snap awake, looking around in confusion as Jay and Mag screamed at him from the vessel’s open hatch to get on board. The swarm reacted immediately to the energy field disappearing, rearing up like a massive black wave about to crash down on the shore.
Sam sprinted towards the drop-ship, scaling the parapet and diving through the open hatch as the swarm raced after him along the roof. Jay and Mag hauled him inside and the drop-ship swung away, frantically dodging the tentacles that lashed out from the seething black mass.
‘Get us back to the compound!’ Sam yelled at the walls, and moments later he felt the drop-ship change course, banking towards St James Park.
‘Are you OK?’ Mag asked.
‘I think so,’ Sam replied uncertainly. ‘What happened?’
‘You tell us,’ Jay said with a frown. ‘You did your whole force-field thing again.’
‘Wish I knew how,’ Sam said, shaking his head, and he glanced down at the dead machine that was still half embedded in his arm. It gave a single sudden twitch and Sam pulled it free with a shudder, before dropping it on the ground and crushing it under the heel of his boot.
‘I think we may have a slightly bigger problem than we realised,’ Mag said, standing and looking out at the skyline through the drop-ship’s open hatch. Sam turned and saw half a dozen more giant black cylinders landing around the city, each impact causing another massive explosion and sending huge billowing clouds of dust and debris whirling into the air. As they watched in horror, each cylinder began to crumble and disintegrate, just as the first one had. They could only assume that each one was creating another monstrous swarm, identical to the one they had just encountered.
‘We have to get out of here,’ Jay said quietly. ‘We have to get out of London.’
‘You know, I think you might be right,’ Sam said, feeling a sudden chill forming in the pit of his stomach.
4
Mag and Anne leapt off the drop-ship while Jay and Sam helped Will down to the debris-strewn compound.
‘You found them!’ Nat yelled as she ran towards them from the accommodation block.
‘How’s Stirling?’ Sam asked quickly.
‘He doesn’t seem to be getting any worse,’ Nat said. ‘I really need to get Anne or –’
‘Later,’ Sam said. ‘Could you get him ready to move? Ask Anne to help.’
‘But he’s too badly injured. If we –’
‘Trust me,’ Sam replied with a frown. ‘We’ve got no choice.’
‘What’s going on?’ Nat asked, suddenly looking scared.
‘Nothing good,’ Jack said. ‘Sam’s right, we have to get out of here now.’
Nat looked as if she was going to say something else for a moment and then thought better of it. Instead, she simply gestured for Anne to follow her and ran back towards the infirmary.
‘The Motherships are detecting large distributed energy signatures throughout the city,’ the Servant said matter-of-factly. ‘I do not, however, recognise the technology that is producing them.’
‘Whatever they are, they’re hostile,’ Sam said. ‘Divert all our Voidborn forces within the city to protect as many of the Sleeper dormitories as possible. We’ve got no idea what that swarm might do to a dormitory and the Sleepers are completely defenceless without our Voidborn guarding them. I don’t know how much good it’ll do, but it’s better than nothing.’
‘Scout units throughout the city are beginning to report contact,’ the Servant said calmly. ‘Our unit’s combat performance is inadequate to face this threat. I would encourage you to leave the vicinity immediately, Illuminate.’
‘Exactly what I had in mind,’ Sam replied. ‘Prep the Motherships for immediate departure.’
‘Understood,’ the Servant replied with a nod. ‘Do you have a destination in mind?’
‘Yeah,’ Sam said as he began to hear a muted hissing sound in the distance. ‘Anywhere but here.’
‘What can we do?’ Jay asked.
‘Gather up anything useful and get it on board the dr
op-ship. We’ll transfer to one of the Motherships as soon as –’
Sam’s words were drowned out by another massive explosion somewhere above them. Sam instinctively covered his head as he was blasted by a wave of heat and pressure that sent him staggering. It was only after a few seconds had passed that he finally looked upwards to see what had happened. One of the Motherships was tipped at a forty-five-degree angle, debris tumbling from a ragged tear in its upper hull. Embedded in a glowing tangle of twisted wreckage at the far end of the gash in the massive vessel’s superstructure was another one of the giant black columns. Sam watched in horror as it began to crumble and a black wave poured across the surface of the Mothership, causing secondary explosions to ripple outwards. The swarm was ripping the massive vessel to shreds before their eyes. The Servant stood in silence, her head twitching slightly as she struggled to make sense of the millions of simultaneous error messages and damage reports that were now flooding from the Tokyo Mothership.
‘Tokyo Mothership reporting catastrophic power core failure imminent,’ the Servant said calmly. ‘Moving London Mothership to minimum safe distance.’
Sam could suddenly feel the situation spiralling out of control. There was no time even to try to work out who it was that was attacking them. If it was the Voidborn, why were they finally choosing to attack now after leaving London alone for so long? One thing was clear: Sam and the others were outgunned – or perhaps, given the nature of this enemy, it would be more accurate to say outnumbered. Retreat was the only option at this point. They needed to withdraw and regroup and plan what their next move should be.
‘Can you get the other Mothership clear in time?’ Sam yelled over the sound of explosions as the first chunks of debris that had been blown off the Tokyo Mothership started to fall on the city nearby.