"So far. Stand by. This could take a while. Let me know if it gets hot topside."

"So you aren't full of shit." Julia sounded resigned. "You were never one to bluff, but I wasn't sure you weren't trying to con me, all things considered."

"This was a test?" he said. "You believe me? Why didn't you just retrieve what I asked when we met?"

"Don't be absurd," she said. "I'm not risking treason on your word alone. However, when Vaneek came and told me what you wanted him to do, I realized you might be telling the truth. I spoke with the trusted leadership within the agency"-she pointed at the others around them-"who are similarly disenchanted. We needed your encryption key to unlock the information, so we set up this meeting."

"The question I have," Moyer said, stepping forward, "is what are we going to do about it? I'm losing monitors every day fighting in the quagmire in New York. My people's lives shouldn't be wasted for the megacorporations' profits."

"Nearly sixty percent of all chronmen operations these days are commissioned by the corporations," Hameel added. "Fatality rates of the chronmen average sixteen percent higher on those jobs."

Rowe, likely the highest-ranking person there, asked Levin, "You wanted this information. You must have a plan. Let's hear it."

Levin looked at the group. It was small but influential. A good place to begin. "I want to start a coup, starting with Earth. We restore ChronoCom to its intended role of working for the greater good of mankind, without the taint of the megacorporations."

"The agency's main leadership all reside on Europa," Marn said. "Sleeping right next to the very corrupting influence we're trying to pry the agency from."

"We replace the entire leadership, then," Julia said.

"Earth has always been the key to salvaging anyway," Levin said. "We all know that. Whoever controls the planet's salvage controls the agency."

"Earth is still too large for us to handle, especially with this small group," said Hameel.

The conservation dissolved again into a free-for-all of opinions on the next best step. For the first time, it was clear that many in the senior hierarchy had a general dissatisfaction with the agency's direction. Everyone had thought that they were alone and been fearful of voicing their concerns. Levin's actions had broken the dam. At first, people shared their stories, and then, as often happens with a group of leaders and problem solvers, they all turned to solutions. The talk got louder and louder until arguments broke out.

"The chron database," Hameel said. "The chron database is key to all of ChronoCom's operations. If we take that over, as well as its backup on Luna, we control the agency."

"Two points of control," Moyer mused. "That we can manage. We might even be able to do this before the rest of the agency knows what is happening."

"Wait, you want to pull this off tonight?" Julia frowned. "We need to think this through. Carefully plan things out."

"We're a thousand meters from the chron database," Hameel replied. "If we leave Central, we'll never make it this close again. Otherwise, once Young sees that we've all disappeared, he'll know something is up and beef up security. Tonight is our best shot."

"Forget the database," Vaneek said, his voice drowned out by the chatter. "We need to take over the Hops instead."

"I'm with Julia on this," Rowe said. "We have thirty noncombatants with us. We can't put everyone in danger."

"We've all been through the Academy," Jan, the elderly lead statistician, said. "I still know how to use an abyss-damn gun. We'll fight." The guy actually looked like he was having fun.

"What do you think, Levin?" Rowe asked.

Levin looked at the group and considered their options. Moyer was right. Right now was probably their best chance to seize the chron database. Julia was right as well. They were in no shape for a frontal attack on the most heavily guarded data center in the solar system. However, they would be in even worse shape tomorrow once the agency learned of the insurrection and went on high alert. They would never be able to step foot into Earth Central again. Now was their chance. "Let's finish this tonight."

"We need to take over the Hops," Vaneek piped up again, louder, just loud enough for all to hear. The talk died down and everyone's attention turned to him. Looking nervous, he stepped next to Levin. "The only way we can pull this off is if the rest of the agency knows what's going on."

"What will taking over the Hops do?" Rowe asked.

"The people in this group," Vaneek gestured at them, "are some of the most respected people in the agency. You don't think that means something to the rank and file? We all look up to you. The problem right now is none of them knows what is happening. The Hops is the only place we can broadcast this information." He pointed at Levin. "Show them those files of yours. Let them decide."

"Hedging on their loyalty is a huge gamble," said Julia.

Moyer nodded. "No, the boy's right. The rest of the agency's loyalty is the only thing worth gambling on. If we can't convince them, we've lost anyway. Besides, let's be honest. What are you going to do even if you take the chron database? Holding the chron database hostage is a joke. Everyone knows none of us will risk damaging it. It would effectively destroy ChronoCom's only justification to be the managing body for time traveling. It would just give every corporation a free license to make their own jumps."

Moyer was probably right on that count. If it came down to it, Levin wouldn't follow through with his threat. If that was so clear to the lead monitor, it would be clear to Young as well. Levin scanned the group of people huddled around him. He hadn't expected things to move so quickly, but if it had to be, there was no finer group to fight with than the one around him. "We'll go now."

Rowe nodded. "Gather the loyal ranks and chains. The tiers probably won't get involved. However, with the element of surprise, we might not need them. That leaves just the administrators to take care of."

Levin put an arm around Vaneek's shoulder. "Good thinking, son."

Vaneek smiled. "Thanks, Auditor Levin. I'm just proud to be part of this-"

A red arc shot across the room and seemed to go right through the young administrator. The smile on his face wavered, and he looked down. Then his knees gave, and Levin had to catch him before he fell to the ground.

A figure walked from the source of the shot to the edge of the lit area. Cole, holding a blaster rifle, spat on the ground. "I've been waiting to do that. Good riddance to that little bastard."

"What did you just do?" Levin gasped, jaws dropping. "Why?"

Cole shrugged. "Because I don't like him. Never did, and besides, like you always tell me, Uncle, I'm earning my keep."

Levin's blood froze when a white glow burst from his body. Suddenly, dozens of exos, most yellow with a sprinkle of oranges, bloomed all around them. A small orb floated in the air above them and a three-dimensional representation of Director Young appeared.

The orb floated in the air and made a slow circle, carrying the image of Young with it. He appraised the entire group. "This is a bigger disaster than I thought. Rebels, at a critical time, when humanity's survival hangs in the balance. How could all of you possibly conceive of doing this? I am disappointed in so many of you. I'm sorry it had to come to this."

"It's at this very critical time that we must do this, Young," Levin replied. "We continue down this path and-"

Young cut him off. "Silence! You're a traitor and a criminal, Levin."

"How would you like us to deal with the traitors, Director?" Cole asked.

Young sighed. "This is going to be such a mess to clean up. The agency will be forced to replace a large portion of the leadership, but I guess it can't be helped. Cole, your new employer has already given you orders. See to it."

FIFTY-ONE.

ASSAULT ON ONE GALAXY.

The ten Hephaestus transports, twelve Valkyries, and forty collies swooped toward the cloud-shaped fog that shrouded the Mist Isle. From a distance, it looked like a giant misshapen dome filled with a living mist that writhed along the edges. Only the tops of the tallest buildings on the island protruded past the surface of the cloud.

The small armada came to a stop over the dome, hovering a few meters above its surface. The exhaust of the ships punched little dents into the fog but could never seem to disperse it. The fleet moved in a tight, flat, circular formation and adjusted its positioning until each ship was hovering at an exact assigned spot. As if on cue, they all moved together six hundred meters south. They readjusted again, rotating a few degrees clockwise. The circular formation was just large enough to cover a two-city-block radius around the All Galaxy Tower.

"Senior," a voice buzzed inside Kuo's head. "We're directly above the stated coordinates."

The rear bay doors of the Hephaestus opened, letting in a high-pitched shriek as a blast of cold air swept through the hull. Kuo walked to the edge of the ramp and looked down at the roiling mist just below her feet. She knelt down and ran her hands through the gray mist. Not wet, not cool, not anything. Just there. She looked up at the lighter clouds lazily floating through the air. This EMP fog was a fog in name only. How it came to be was a mystery, an ancient weapon and technology long since forgotten, but it had been such a constant thorn in her side. She would be happy when this project was over.

"All Co-op," she broadcast through her comm module. "No incendiaries or explosives. Watch your marks. The temporal anomaly is to be taken alive. Any harm done to her is an immediate forfeiture of contract. All others are expendable. Eliminate with extreme prejudice."

Kuo pulled up the schematics of the city overlaid by the location of her ships. The All Galaxy Tower was at the exact center of this circle. This time, the temporal anomaly would not escape. The traitor had provided detailed thought images of what the scientist looked like, as well as key intelligence for the attack. In her eyes, while the information was valuable, Kuo did not think it was worth what he demanded. However, that problem could be addressed at a later date.

"All ships, once you unload your cargo, pull outside the EMP fog to patrol the perimeter and await further instructions. Any savage trying to flee the island is to be cut down," she ordered. "Commence insertion on ... mark."

The armada dropped into the dark fog simultaneously. Some ships fell just above the waterline while others stopped at strategic points: bridges, entrances, decks, and balconies. Every one of them unloaded their cargo in unison, pouring thousands of Valta troopers and ChronoCom monitors into the buildings against an unknown number of savages. Not that it mattered. Not this time. Previously, the savages were able to nullify the Co-op's superior firepower and skill with numbers and the ability to retreat into the haze and the Mist Isle's jungle. Now they had nowhere to run.

Her forces had the entire city block blanketed at every point of escape. Now all they had to do was methodically squeeze these savages until something materialized. It was just a matter of time before they found the scientist. The sooner Kuo finished with this unpleasant assignment, the sooner she could leave this hellscape and return home.

Kuo stepped out of the Hephaestus onto the main bridge connecting to the All Galaxy Tower on the north. Nine of her trooper pods were cleaning out the building behind her while three monitors squads held the connecting bridges. According to Cole, this floor, the thirty-fourth, was the linchpin of the operation. If the Co-op took this floor, then they had all the higher floors isolated and controlled the heart of this upstart wastelander nation.

She walked down the length of the bridge to the middle, where a group of her forces had stopped in their tracks. Kuo frowned. This heavily armed pod should have no issues cutting through the sticks, stones, and whatever the abyss these primitives were armed with. Yet, already, the shockers had activated their shells, a translucent hardened energy shield the length and width of a man that connected at the left forearm, and closed in ranks.

She approached the pod captain. "What is the problem?"

He pointed at the pile of trash at the end of the bridge. At first, it looked like nothing more than junk loosely stacked. Then she noticed the people standing near the top of it. In the center of the pile was a wide metal double door.

"You should be able to blow through that little problem," she said.

"If you look closely, Senior," he said.

Kuo did, and noticed the faint silvery glimmer in front of the barricade. She scowled. "That's our field cover, isn't it?"

The pod captain nodded. "Same signature. Probably stolen from the York outpost. The fact that we're on a bridge limits our options. It will be difficult to break through without explosives."

"No explosives. We cannot risk hurting the scientist," she said. "Have your men tested the edges?"

He nodded. "End to end. I sent two for close proximity readings. They were hit with blaster and beam fire for their efforts."

An interesting development. Not only had these savages managed to steal and repurpose a Valta one-way static shield, they were also now using the megacorporation's firearms. This made the task more difficult. She would just have to take matters into her own hands.

"Have your shockers ready to charge," she said.

Kuo shot straight up twenty meters through the glassless frame of the bridge into the haze, and veered straight at the skyscraper. The side of the building gave her minimal resistance as she punched through the wall, raining down rubble as she landed in the interior behind the barricade.

The hallways here were packed with savages racing around like mice. Waves of them charged at her even as dozens more opened fire with whatever weapons they had on hand. The initial volley that struck her shield caused her exo to light up the darkened hallway. She saw blaster fire, wrist beams, projectiles, even a primitive arrow burst into flames as it struck the white glowing surface of the shield. Each of the hits caused an expanding ring from the point of impact. The concentrated fire became so dense, she couldn't see outside the flashes of her exo.

Kuo checked her levels. They were already at 81 percent. The battle was actually taking a toll. She turned her attention to the barricade and was suddenly flung to the side. She crashed into the wall with extreme force. Her exo wavered for a second as she readjusted her levels. Down to 68 percent. What had just hit her?

She glanced down the hall and saw a large black cannon mounted on a wagon. If she didn't know better ... No, that was a fusion cannon designed to be mounted on top of Valkyries. How did these savages get ahold of that? More importantly, how did they manage to find the energy to power the weapon?

She had far underestimated these savages' capabilities. Well, no matter. Kuo launched herself straight at the cannon, bowling over bodies as if they weren't there. She had to be careful. Chances were, the scientist she sought wasn't among the crowd, but she couldn't leave anything to chance. Kuo reached the cannon and created a white trunk. She wrapped it around the cannon and lifted it in the air, floating it with her as she made her way back to the barricade. Dozens of small sparks lit up the edges of her shield as small electrical bursts continued to chip away at her exo.

She hurtled straight at the barricade. She aimed for its center and released the long black cylinder-shaped weapon. The resulting explosion sent an expanding ring of pressure that bowled over the unfortunate savages in the vicinity. It was followed by a rolling cloud of fire and smoke that swept over her. For several seconds, she watched from inside the perfect sphere of the shield as smoke and flames curled around its edges. Outside it, the savages screamed in panic as fiery debris rained down all around them. A moment after that, her shocker pod was through, and then the real massacre began.

Kuo, still hovering five meters above, watched as her forces fanned out in their phalanxes in small lines. These particular shock pods specialized in riot control, and that was what these savages were. Nothing more than a rabble of barbarians charging against better-disciplined, better-trained, and better-armed professional soldiers. Within minutes, her forces had acquired a foothold in one of two main entrances. Within five, though outnumbered ten to one, they were pushing the savages back.

She stayed high above ground, overlooking the battle. It was dark up there and most of the savages had quickly forgotten her, especially with the massively armored white shockers bearing down on them.

Her levels were already lower than she had anticipated this early into the fight, but her involvement in this phase of the operation was no longer necessary. Ten minutes later, two monitor squads arrived from the north, followed by three from the west. She pulled the shocker pod back to rest and ordered the monitors to clean up the leftovers. The shockers would be needed elsewhere.

Within two hours, most of the heavy fighting on the thirty-fourth floor was over. Kuo walked down the hall, inspecting the results. The shockers were at 65 percent strength, which was surprising. She had lost forty-nine in the initial attack. The enemy, however, must have lost three hundred here, if not more. There were so many bodies lying about, it was hard to keep track.

She stood over the body of the captain and then looked over at the next man down the line. "You're pod captain now. When will your men be ready to move again?"

"Within the twenty, Senior." He saluted.

She nodded and dismissed him. One of the monitor squads canvassing the floor brought out an old man from one of the back rooms. They dropped him at her feet. One look at him told Kuo this man was more important than the usual rabble.

"Your name?" she asked.

"I am Teacher Crowe. You are standing in my home. Allow me to offer you a seat." He picked himself up and looked around, sadness painted on his face. "There will be many ghosts here tonight. Does this slaughter bring you the satisfaction you seek?"

Kuo ignored the question. "Where is the temporal anomaly? The scientist?"

"I do not know what you speak of. Please. Allow me to offer you a seat."

"The woman. Elise, the one from the past."

The old man shook his head again. "I do not know what you speak of. Allow me to offer you a-"

Kuo grabbed him by the front of the shirt and dragged him across the room to where the survivors of the battle-roughly two hundred of these primitives-were sitting on the floor. She threw him to the ground. She took a sidearm from the nearest trooper and pointed it at the nearest savage. "Tell me what I want to know or I start shooting these people one by one."

"I do not know what you speak of. Please. Allow me to offer you a seat."

Kuo pulled the trigger, striking a woman in the chest. "Let's try this again."

The old man struggled to keep his head high as tears fell down his face. Somehow, he managed to smile. "I do not know what you speak of. Allow me-"

She pulled the trigger again, this time shooting an injured young man. "His blood is on your hands, Teacher. In fact, if you tell me what I want, my army and I will be gone within the hour. We will leave you in peace. What do you say?"

Pain wracked the old man's face as he bowed his head. He squeezed his eyes shut, his body quivering. Kuo was getting impatient. Dozens of battles were still raging all around the block and she still had to locate the temporal anomaly.

She pulled the trigger five times, killing five more prisoners. Each time, the old man repeated the same phrase. Finally, Kuo turned the gun on him. "This is your last chance. The fate of more than you hangs in the balance today. I will rest easy regardless of what you say, so do not push me, old man. Tell me where this woman is."

Crowe wiped his face with a bloody sleeve. He turned his back to her and stared for a long time at his people, sitting on the floor. They all looked back at him. He smiled and nodded.

"I am Teacher Crowe of the Flatirons tribe. Allow me to offer you a seat."

Kuo pulled the trigger, and his body fell to the floor. Irritated, she looked over at the lead monitor. "Kill them all."

His mouth dropped and he took a step back. "Securitate, they've all been disarmed. They're prisoners. We don't-"

She created a trunk and picked up the monitor by the neck, lifting him off the ground. "I don't know how your nonprofit agency runs your operations," she spat, "but Valta military does not tolerate insubordination. Do you understand me, Lead Monitor, or do I have to publicly execute you to set an example of how a real military behaves?"

"Yes, Securitate," he managed.

"Senior," Ewa said, trotting up to her. "Most of this floor has been secured, save for the four primary stairwells and small pockets of resistance. Scouts are reporting from the adjacent buildings. Fighting is heavier than anticipated, but we should have them all secured by nightfall."