The Altreian Enigma (Rho Agenda Assimilation Book 2) Read online

  His left foot caught on an unseen stone, and he stumbled forward, barely managing to avoid falling. Lance cursed under his breath but continued on, glad he hadn’t heard any laughter, as that would mean the other members of his patrol had seen his clumsiness. A sound to his left brought him to a halt.

  Lance cocked his head and stilled his breathing. At first he only heard movement from the other members of his squad, but then he heard the sound again—a staccato crunch of metal on stone and soil, coming from well outside the perimeter. It was getting closer.

  “Achtung!” he yelled, dropping to a knee and raising his assault rifle. As he flipped the selector from safe to automatic, he heard something hit the wire, accompanied by the loud twang of strands giving way.

  The laser that cut his left arm off at the shoulder continued its arc through his upper torso. As automatic weapons chattered all around him, Lance never managed to scream.

  Janet stood in the Smythe operational control room, watching the bank of monitors that covered the far wall. She could have worn a headset like Robby, Jamal, and Eileen, but she couldn’t stand the hated things. She would continue to rely on the information her own five senses delivered instead of the hallucinations the headsets piped into their brains.

  The conditions around the Frankfurt Gateway project were both good and bad for the robotic attack that had begun. The fog vastly reduced the visibility and range of infrared targeting and surveillance systems, allowing the robotic attackers to get close to their enemies before being engaged. But it also limited the information available from the Smythes’ drone aircraft.

  For now, she relied on drone telemetry relayed through subspace links back to New Zealand. So far the attack was progressing better than expected, although she knew that wasn’t likely to last. The robotic force had attacked the Frankfurt Gateway’s outer perimeter from six directions, taking minimal losses in penetrating the outer line of defense. Once through the razor wire, each of these six swarms had unleashed the dog-shaped fast-attack bots, sending them bounding forward across the relatively flat terrain at speeds up to fifty miles per hour, to probe for weak spots.

  These penetrating attacks achieved a number of simultaneous objectives, creating confusion and producing friendly-fire casualties as German and supporting UFNS forces were caught in each other’s crossfire. Because the bots were aware of each other’s positions, they were able to build a rapid map of engagements, allowing them to flow around strong points in the defense toward weak areas.

  Unfortunately, those weak areas would become much harder to find as the fighting progressed toward the elite forces guarding the inner facilities that gave access to the wormhole-gateway cavern.

  Staying below radar and with the fog making their air surveillance ineffective, the small drones were reduced to providing communications relays among the ground swarms. But when the time came, they would crash themselves into assigned targets, detonating their internal bombs. All of it was controlled by the logic of the swarm to which they were assigned.

  Her thoughts shifted to Heather and Mark, who had positioned themselves inside an abandoned industrial construction project halfway between Hanau and the Frankfurt Gateway cavern. Despite keeping a small number of combat robots and a contingent of Aaden Bauer’s Safe Earth resistance forces with them, their position left them exposed in a way Janet didn’t like.

  If Heather could implement her work from New Zealand, they would be safely operating from here. Unfortunately, such a feat wasn’t possible. The micro-bots were too small to have subspace-communications capability, and the latency induced by relaying the signals was unacceptable. Heather’s savant brain would have to absorb everything they would be sensing so that she could manipulate the bots as if they were extensions of her own body.

  There was no getting around the requirement for her to be there, so there was no possibility of keeping Mark away. Janet understood that feeling. It was the way she and Jack had been before he—

  She angrily shoved the thought away. The operation was still in its initial stages. Very soon now, the elite German forces closer to the Frankfurt Gateway would join the fray. Things were bound to get interesting.

  Robby had used Eos to distribute the mission objectives to each of the swarms now attacking the Frankfurt Gateway. And he would keep Eos focused on the ongoing battle as long as it lasted. As he had already experienced, these much larger swarms could operate autonomously, having placed themselves in a mode that disabled instructions potentially overridden by external hackers.

  The Smythes and Robby had debated eliminating this measure but had instead opted for better defining the target objectives in a way that Heather believed provided the lowest probability of generating extensive collateral damage. Nonetheless, there would still be collateral damage. But with the fate of mankind hanging in the balance, certain risks had to be accepted.

  What Robby couldn’t accept were the risks Heather and Mark were taking by assigning too small a force of robots for their own personal defense. Despite Heather’s attempts to reassure him that she had selected the optimum course of action, neither Robby nor Eos agreed with her probability calculations.

  So he had made a small addition to the instructions Eos had passed to the robotic swarms. Destroy any force that moves to attack Heather or Mark Smythe.

  The simple instruction would only be triggered if that one condition was met. And since the loss of Heather would cause their entire plan to fail, the addition was logical. He knew he should have asked Janet’s approval before implementing the change, but he hadn’t.

  He took a breath and refocused his thoughts on the here and now and things he could control.

  CHAPTER 38

  Having been the recipient of the latest formulation of the Rho Project nanites, Alexandr Prokorov no longer had any need for sleep. Thus he was at his desk when the call came in that propelled him down the hall to the FSS strategic-operations center.

  He entered the room’s upper tier and was met by General Dimitri Zherdev, the chief of FSS military operations.

  “Minister,” Zherdev said, “the Frankfurt Gateway compound came under attack a little over five minutes ago.”

  Prokorov walked forward to the curved glass wall that gave him a clear view out over the operations center and the twenty-foot-tall wall that formed a massive view-screen. The room below bustled with an energy indicative of the combat action displayed on the far wall.

  “Talk me through it.”

  “If you take a look at the map on the upper left corner, you’ll see that the outer perimeter has been breached in six locations by attacks that appear to be entirely robotic.”

  Prokorov frowned. Knowing the ruthlessness and utter disregard for public safety that the Smythes had previously demonstrated, this could be very bad indeed.

  Zherdev continued. “The outer perimeter is designed to be a trip wire that is six miles outside the inner fortifications. The robots aren’t bothering to widen the breaches, just pouring through the punctures at top speed. The lead elements are acting like a cavalry covering force, charging forward to give the follow-on elements a clear picture of our inner defenses.”

  “Have we engaged them from the air?”

  “Not with any kind of precision. The fog is severely limiting our airborne surveillance assets’ capabilities. We are picking them up on ground-surveillance radar, but that’s only useful for artillery targeting. The tanks and precision-guided munitions rely on visual or LIDAR targeting, both of which are impacted by the fog.”

  “Engage with artillery.”

  “The civilians—”

  “We’re talking about a few farmers versus humanity. The Smythes won’t hesitate to kill civilians, and neither will I. Give the order.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  As the general picked up the phone to give that order, Prokorov stared at the updating displays. What he wouldn’t give to be rid of the Smythes once and for all. Assuming Galina wasn’t dead, she remained his best opt
ion.

  Nikina Gailan walked alongside Aaden Bauer as he made his circuit through the partially completed, multistory concrete-and-steel structure, hearing the distant rumble of what could only be artillery fire. When was the last time the heart of Germany had experienced the rumble of that metallic wall of death? The 1940s. The decade that had laid the egg that hatched this one.

  Craziness.

  The Smythes were a significant part of that craziness, as was Aaden, as was she. On these rare nights when death hung in the air like fog itself, she felt totally alive.

  Mark and Heather had staked out a secluded spot in the underground parking garage to set up their sophisticated communications gear. Although they hadn’t bothered to brief her or Aaden on its purpose, she gathered that this location was critically important to controlling some of the robots in the attacking force. Once Heather took over that part of the operation, she was not to be disturbed for any reason.

  Movement to Nikina’s right drew her attention, and she shifted the muzzle of the assault rifle in that direction only to see a group of three robots patrolling the perimeter. Two were bipedal models standing just over eight feet tall, with a turret containing a high-powered laser and a sensor array in place of a head. The third was the size of a large dog but with the capability of continuously standing erect or running forward on all fours. The dog-bot’s feet could transform into hands by way of extended grasping digits.

  But the robots that freaked her out were the crab-like bombs that skittered around or over obstacles with remarkable agility. When they folded themselves up, they were no bigger than softballs and capable of magnetically attaching themselves by scores to the outside of the larger robots, giving their bigger cousins a lumpy appearance. The thought of trying to defend a position while those things swarmed you left her cold.

  While the bots’ movements weren’t exactly quiet, the electric motors that powered them were remarkably so. The technology that allowed them to store that much electrical energy was far better than anything Nikina had ever heard of and would be worth a fortune on the commercial or military markets.

  As Aaden completed his inspection of the Safe Earth resistance fighters he had positioned around the skeletal structure, he stopped beside the two dozen black motorcycles that had brought them here to stare through the fog toward the distant sounds of battle. Nikina stopped beside him. She couldn’t hear the screams of those that fought and died in this shrouded night, but she sensed them.

  If all went well, their sacrifice would be worth it.

  Mark watched Heather closely in the underground parking structure. She sat cross-legged on the dirty concrete floor, using a specially designed headset that lacked the subspace-communications aptitude that allowed her to link with the New Zealand supercomputers. This headset linked with the small rack of communications equipment in front of her to receive sensor and telemetry data from thousands of micro-bots, giving her the ability to control their actions. She also controlled the crawling carrier bots worming their way through the narrow ductwork that provided pathways for the gateway cavern’s wiring and plumbing.

  The big robots had already accomplished the main goal of their attack. Having reached the maintenance building that provided access to the underground ductwork that carried the wiring and plumbing to the cavern, they had released the crawler bots into the tight space. From this point on, the larger robots would continue to fight to provide distraction.

  With the micro-bot swarm still within the bodies of the crawlers, the number of bots Heather had to control simultaneously was only in the dozens for now. But when the crawlers arrived at the release point and discharged the flea-sized micro-bots, the mental stress on her mind would rise exponentially. The tiny bots had to reach and get inside the gateway system without being observed, and so she would have to direct the swarm over a much greater distance than they were normally expected to travel.

  She had factored in the potential for significant losses along the way, but the smaller the number of micro-bots that successfully penetrated the machinery, the longer it would take to complete the rewiring of the circuit boards. Since they needed the diversion from the assault by the combat robots to continue throughout the process, any delays could endanger the mission.

  The crawler bots were at least fifteen minutes from reaching the spot where they would release the micro-bots.

  In the meantime, Mark would continue to use his subspace headset to monitor the status of the battle being waged outside the gateway cavern. Beyond that, the only thing he could do to help his wife through a task that would push her fabulous mind to its limits was to stand watch.

  The worry in Eileen’s voice over the room’s speakers pulled Janet’s attention from the maps displaying the progress of the attack.

  “We’ve got a problem.”

  “What’s wrong?”

  “Jamal and I have intercepted FSS communications with a convoy of armored vehicles that are currently headed north from Hanau on Highway 45 to reinforce the troops defending the Frankfurt Gateway. That route is going to take them very close to the spot where Heather and Mark are located.”

  Janet felt the tension creep into her shoulders and consciously relaxed. “So long as Aaden’s people don’t get trigger happy, that shouldn’t be a problem. In the fog, the convoy won’t even know they are there.”

  “Okay. Just letting you know.”

  “Thanks.”

  Janet studied the digital displays showing the positions and status of their robots. The attacks from the south and southeast had faltered, failing to penetrate the heavily armored defenses in those areas, but three other swarms had punctured the second of three defensive rings, extending tendrils that reached within two miles of the gateway cavern. But as she watched, her eyes were drawn back to the three southern swarms.

  They hadn’t just halted their advance—they were in all-out retreat.

  She pressed a button and spoke. “Robby. What’s going on with the southern swarms?”

  “Uh . . . I’m not sure.”

  “Not sure, or don’t know? If you have any idea what’s happening, now would be a good time to tell me.”

  When no immediate response was forthcoming, Janet felt her jaws clench. “Robby?”

  “Eos thinks their drones have detected the convoy approaching from the south and the swarms are moving to intercept it.”

  “Did you command that?”

  “No. I couldn’t if I wanted to. The swarms are making the tactical decisions they believe give them the best chance of accomplishing their mission.”

  “Their mission is to attack and destroy the wormhole gateway.”

  She heard him clear his throat. “And to destroy anything that threatens Mark or Heather.”

  Janet glanced back at the big map, finally understanding what she was seeing.

  “Oh shit.”

  CHAPTER 39

  At first Prokorov had thought the news from the defensive forces on the south side of the Frankfurt Gateway complex was good. Reports indicated that the robots had pulled back after meeting stiff resistance before going into high-speed retreat. What confused him was how those actions differed from the way the swarms of robots were throwing themselves into the German defenders north of the gateway.

  “Our German armor convoy reports enemy contact north of Hanau,” said General Zherdev.

  “Losses?”

  “Two Leopard tanks and four armored personnel carriers. The robots were on them before they could tactically deploy into battle formations.”

  Prokorov cursed. “What about air support?”

  “The forces are intermingled in the fog. Our air power would certainly hit our own troops along with the enemy.”

  “Show me on the map.”

  The general signaled to one of the captains sitting at a console, and the map zoomed out so that it showed not only the ongoing engagements at the Frankfurt Gateway, but also those north of Hanau.

  Prokorov studied the display, fee
ling a renewed sense of optimism. Maybe this was for the best. By turning to attack the convoy, almost half of the attacking swarms had pulled themselves away from the gateway cavern, allowing the defenders there to concentrate their fire against the reduced swarms. Thus the robotic advance of two of the three swarms had slowed to a crawl and the defending troops were able to counterattack the left flank of the third swarm.

  Then he noticed something else. “Zoom in on the action north of Hanau.”

  The map display shifted to show the actively engaged military units as a series of blinking icons. The emerging pattern formed a thirty-degree arc that bowed around a central point.

  “Do you see that?” Prokorov asked, pointing at the computer monitor at the captain’s workstation.

  General Zherdev leaned forward. “It looks like they’re defending something.”

  “That’s a pretty big area. Show me some daylight satellite imagery, and keep the combat icons overlaid on the image.”

  The area had a number of farms and villages, some industrial facilities, and an abandoned construction site. The deploying tanks and infantry were engaged in a desperate fight that stretched almost three miles wide.

  “It’s going to be pretty hard to pin down what they’re defending,” Zherdev said. “Do you want me to call in an airstrike?”

  Prokorov considered the question. “No. If they are defending something, then it must be a high-value target. What special-alert forces are ready for immediate deployment?”

  “We have the U.S. Third Ranger Battalion on alert at Ramstein Air Base. They are currently assigned to support FSS military operations.”

  “Get them in the air. I want them to sweep that whole area and find out what’s there.”