The Salvation

Chapter 48

|Deborah|

Callus returned swiftly from Colorado City across the bay. It wasn't until Deborah's fell upon The Apex once again that she recognised true terror as it struck her, a blade of cold steel. The Apex terrorised the city with ease, knocking down buildings like blocks and swatting off attack choppers like flies. We can't stop it, not with heavy artillery... Deborah rubbed her temple.

The warship was entering the bay, the HMS Destructor, Deborah's only warship built under the United Wasteland, and the best equipped. With heavy cannons and missile barrage launchers, all trained on the rampaging Apex, it was superior to any other combat vehicle the wasteland had to offer, the pride of Deborah's force. A lieutenant hurried over to Deborah with a radio in his hand. "Ma'am, the HMS Destructor is awaiting your personal order." The man said as calmly and clearly as he could, his eyes darting between Deborah and The Apex across the bay like a tennis match.

Deborah nodded. "I will give my order when ready..." Deborah instructed the man to wait with her. Katrina, Callus and Deborah's Onyx guards all strongly advised her to leave, but Deborah refused to. My governments first great enemy, I will not run and hide. Either it dies, or I do. Deborah thought defiantly. She turned her head to Callus' chopper, watching Callus, Malcolm and a strange woman who seemed to made of plastic step out. "Callus... Tell me in twenty minutes I'll be seeing fireworks...? I alerted Andrew when it looked like you failed... Tell me I'm wrong...?"

"I'm afraid not President Fisher." Callus said in a monotone voice. Callus averted his eyes from Deborah's, hiding his own from her gaze. "It caught us off guard, I believed it would come from the north..."

"You made something smarter than yourself..." Deborah scolded harshly. "If we fall, that beast will destroy you. It's a sort of poetic justice, isn't it? The monster you created killing you?" Deborah asked as Callus turned his disfigured head away from Deborah. Don't avoid me you bastard! Deborah nodded to one of her Onyx guards. The guard charged towards Callus, grabbing him from behind and holding him in a tight headlock.

"What the fuck are you doing?!" Callus snapped. Malcolm aimed his gun at the head of the Onyx guard, but Deborah's other nineteen aimed there's at him.

Deborah stepped forward, closing the distance between her and Callus. "Tell me that you didn't fail your mission out there on purpose! Tell me that this is some big accident!" Deborah rose her voice to contend with The Apex's tantrum across the bay. "Or so help me I will end you right now, just like I should've before the war!"

"You owe everything to me! The United Wasteland wouldn't exist if I hadn't acted as I did!" Callus defended himself.

"You didn't follow my commands..." Deborah paused as Katrina arrived, her handgun in her hand.

Callus looked upon Deborah with cold fury. "I didn't purposely fail my mission!" Callus said with an angry confidence that convinced Deborah. She nodded her head again, and the Onyx guard dropped Callus to the ground and rejoined the others behind her. "How dare you treat me like this!"

"How dare I? Haven't we had this conversation before Callus?!" Deborah snapped. "It was you who destroyed the world and created that fucking beast over there knocking down buildings like they're sticks! So tell me Callus, how dare you?"

"It was me-"

"Don't give me that bullshit lecture that you're the one who put me in power, if I hear you say that again I swear to god I'll just shoot you myself..." Deborah warned with Callus' own cold confidence. "Go. I want you out of my sight, I'll call you when it's done and I'm ready for my next move."

"You need me to explain the process to Mister Pratt." Callus said as he cleaned up his suit.

Deborah sighed and nodded in agreement. Going around Colorado City to purposely avoid The Apex, another helicopter flew towards Deborah. She ordered a helipad cleared for the chopper to land. Andrew Pratt and another man stepped out with a German Shepard, gaping at The Apex across the bay. The dog took no notice of The Apex, but rather growled suspiciously at Callus. Andrew walked over to the group, glaring at Malcolm and spitting at Callus' feet. Callus scoffed as he stepped back from the spit. The other man avoided Callus completely, joining Andrew. Deborah could tell something had happened between the man and Callus previously, the very sight of Callus had him seething. Not making many friends for me, are you Callus?

"Deborah, no bullshit, what the absolute fuck is going on behind us?!" Andrew asked with a fierce tone, looking back at The Apex as it swatted off another helicopter. Andrew gripped his AK-47 anxiously. He's afraid, we all are.

Deborah sighed. "I'm not gonna try, Callus explain the mission and leave." Deborah commanded.

Callus stepped forward and smirked smugly at the man with Andrew. "I don't believe you've been introduced to Craig Farrant, he was present during the assault of The Black Tower." Callus pointed at the man Deborah did not know.

"Callus, we've got our own score to settle later... Right now I'm with Andrew, so you don't get to talk to me..." The other man, Craig, said spitefully towards Callus. Deborah noted he had a British accent.

Callus snickered. "Fine." Callus pointed across the bay. "Over there is The Apex, currently I have activated a fusion reactor beneath the hospital in the centre of the city. I attempted to sabotage it and overload it, however we were cut off by The Apex's approach. Inside the reactor is a canister, it's already prepared, it just needs to be attached to the open slot on the roof of the reactors interior. But The Apex is coming too close to the hospital, someone must distract it!" Callus explained with stern seriousness. "The rain will fall again in under ten minutes, but that can only do so much. Whoever is best in a helicopter, I suggest you use whatever you can to keep The Apex busy. It will target anything that is annoying it, so once it sees you it will pursue. We have the warship in the bay, if you can bring The Apex to the edge of the city, then the warship can attack it."

"Got it." Andrew nodded, glancing back at The Apex. "Craig will take the reactor, I'll stick with The Apex." Andrew turned to Craig. "Have you got this?" Craig nodded. "Very well then, if we get into that reactor and rig it to blow up, how much time will we have?"

"Precisely twenty minutes." Callus confirmed.

After five minutes more of Callus briefing the two, he and Malcolm turned to their helicopter to take SP-16C back to his Nevada facility, but Deborah caught SP approaching Andrew without Callus noticing. Deborah strained her ears to listen carefully.

"Andrew Pratt. I am designated android SP-16C. I was the one who broke Callus Mariartus' firewalls after Terry Mathis gave me access." SP-16C explained in a low monotone voice. Terry Mathis, I remember that one. Deborah listened carefully as the two continued. "That smartphone will come into use soon enough Andrew Pratt, keep it close by you." SP-16C hurried off behind Callus.

What's she planning...?