The skies above Seville
22:50 GMT+1
The past few minutes had been frantic. The Mechanised Infantry Brigade had reached Seville but was unable to enter the city because a spider was still controlling access to the A-4 motorway, the route being used by the soldiers. General Miguel Santos, in charge of Armadillo Brigade, had requested immediate aerial support. He wasn’t prepared to risk his vehicles in a frontal assault.
Preston had sent several pilots over to coordinate an attack on the spider. They wouldn’t be able to destroy it, but if they could make it pursue them, the road would be left clear for the mechanised infantry to advance. Four F-18s were charged with launching missiles and shells at the spider. The strategy worked. The spider took the bait and shot off after them just as another three F-35s entered the fray with their weapons. The spider evaded the attacks as best it could, shooting down one of the F-18s, but a hawk suddenly appeared out of nowhere and blew it to smithereens. The new allies appeared to have learned how to make the most of the humans’ tactics: the fighter jets distracted the spiders while the hawks finished them off. Under any other circumstances the pilots’ pride might have been wounded. But not here. In this battle any such feelings were rapidly cast aside. Anything was welcome if it meant one less of their dreaded enemies.
Unfortunately, there was no time to celebrate their success. A blinding flash and heavy turbulence caught all of the airborne vehicles by surprise. Preston quickly looked upwards. He realised that 2012 UA had fired its enormous cannons at hawk mothership, which had evaded a direct hit by a matter of inches. Several explosions erupted across the mothership and he could see damage to its hull. Its shield probably wouldn’t withstand another similar attack.
That had been just five minutes ago. Since then, a large number of spiders had focused on attacking the hawk mothership and were now ignoring the city below. In fact, there were practically no spiders left on the ground. Armadillo troops were able to spread out across the city practically without incident, only hampered by blast craters in the streets and destroyed or abandoned vehicles.
“Sparrowhawk 1, calling all units. We’ve observed a large object leaving the hawk mothership.”
Preston looked up at the spaceship again. It was still fighting 2012 UA, constantly moving to evade its shots. He tried to spot the new object but couldn’t see it anywhere. Just when he was about to ask Sparrowhawk 1 to send more data on its altitude and speed, he finally spotted it. A small dot in the sky. It was hurtling downwards at full speed, free-falling out of control. At first it was impossible to make out exactly what it was, but as it descended towards the ground it became clearer and clearer. Preston couldn’t believe his eyes.
“Diablo Squadron Leader here. I have visual contact with the new object. It’s a type of human-shaped vehicle… It looks like a suit of armour… It’s falling out of control. All units, do not approach the new object until we have more data,” Preston tried to make out all the details.
“Morón Command here. Please clarify what you mean by ‘human-shaped armour’?” Colonel Hidalgo's voice sounded incredulous over the private channel.
“Well, pretty much that… I can see what looks like arms, legs, a head… It’s made of some type of pale metal. The first thing that springs to mind is an enormous suit of armour, like the ones from the Middle Age,” Preston struggled to explain. “I’ll carry on—”
The words died on his lips when he saw that the armour had suddenly stopped mid-air. A powerful bluish shock wave burst outwards from it, dazzling anyone in a thirty-mile radius. Preston was momentarily blinded. The burst of light was followed shortly afterwards by a wave of heavy turbulence; Preston almost lost control of his aircraft.
“All units, please check in. We’ve just been hit by heavy turbulence,” Preston tried to hold on to the controls tightly.
The pilots began to respond. Practically all were safe; only one pilot had had to eject when he had lost control of his aeroplane. They weren’t the only ones affected by the armour’s activity. Two spiders that had been circling close by at the time had been instantly destroyed. Preston couldn’t understand what the armour was doing. Now it had stopped completely still. It was hanging in the air, as if it were waiting for something, and it had changed colour too. Now it gleamed white with intense blue ribbing. He watched as several spiders flew over and started to fire at it. All of sudden, the armour swiftly moved away to evade the attacks and then fired back with a type of plasma cannon attached to its right arm. It didn’t miss a shot. Each spider that was struck was instantly blown to pieces. In just moments, it had destroyed four of their deadly enemies. What the hell is that thing, Preston wondered.
“All units, retreat. I repeat, retreat. Exit the combat zone,” it was better to get out of the way for the moment.
Colonel Hidalgo’s voice instantly cut in. “Diablo Squadron Leader, Morón Command here. Why are you ordering a retreat?” He was trying to bring order to the chaos of the command center.
“It’s the new allied unit… Its combat capacity exceeds anything we’ve seen up until now. It’s destroyed four spiders in under a minute. I’m calling it ‘Armour’.” Another fucking original name, Jack cursed.
“This is insane… Understood. Let the jets retreat for now. They can use the time to re-arm back at base. How are you doing for fuel?” He seemed worried.
“I’ve got just under a quarter of a tank left. But I’ve run out of missiles and only have a handful of shells…” Preston sighed in frustration.
“We need you to stay and observe the battle from close up… It’s vital that we can respond to any further developments, in case that new unit can’t finish off the hostile targets.”
“Copy. I’ll observe from a safe distance for as long as I can. Over and out.” Preston knew it couldn't be for long.
Preston repeated the orders, instructing any aircraft that were low in fuel to return to Morón Air Base. Meanwhile, he, Takeda and the remaining pilots in the Tartessians, Diablos and Barracuda Squadrons began to circle around the combat zone. From their vantage point, they could observe the on-going battles between the two large spaceships and the hawks, spiders and the mysterious suit of armour. Preston’s viewfinder was fixed on the strange new object. He was fascinated by its every movement, every shot… It was like seeing a god of war in action.
The spectators on the Valhalla bridge were similarly entranced. Brunilda was sitting in the command chair and every member of the crew had their eyes locked on the Gungnir. It was like watching a legend from the past come to life. In fact, the Gungnir was revealed to be Odin’s Spear, a weapon they had believed to be nothing but a myth. Now it had proved to be real. Very real.
The Valhalla could communicate directly with the Gungnir, the spaceship’s holographic screen clearly recognised the suit of armour as its primary combat unit. But despite the fact that the Valkyries had tried to contact Luis and knew he could hear then, he wasn’t responding. Freya gazed at the Gungnir with a mixture of amazement and concern. It was the most majestic weapon she had ever seen, but how did that young man know how to handle it in such a deadly fashion?
Luis’s consciousness was trapped somewhere between the lake and the cockpit. He no longer knew whether he was dead or alive. Whether he was a machine or a human being. But one feeling surged up inside him, clear and true: the burning desire to kill all his enemies. The water in the lake swirled around him. His battle was just beginning…
First, he effortlessly destroyed a spider that was in hot pursuit of a hawk. Then he sensed that he was about to be attacked from behind. Whirling around, he fired his main weapon and evaded the two plasma beams the spider had shot at him from his rear. His blue beams penetrated the spider’s defences and it exploded in a ball of green flames. There was no time to rest, within seconds another two spiders were attacking him from two different angles. The Gungnir dodged the first of the shots but it was impossible to evade the second. It raised its left arm to defend itself and an intense energy shield instantly appeared, absorbing the impact and protecting it from harm. In retaliation, the Gungnir aimed its cannon and blasted one of the spiders into pieces. When it saw what had happened, the other spider transformed into its closed mode and tried to flee but the Gungnir shot it down before it could make its escape.
Another premonition… A spider was hurtling towards Luis at full speed. It was going to ram him! He swiftly put away the cannon and grasped a type of double hilt that was attached to his left leg. Seizing it with both hands, two blue plasma beams burst out of the double hilt like vast electromagnetic swords, each measuring thirty yards long and a yard wide. Biding his time, he waited until the spider was just about to crash into him and then skillfully wielded his two blades. The spider was sliced in two, the two halves blown apart in a massive blast seconds before they reached him. The Gungnir didn’t even flinch. It now pulled apart the two hilts and held one weapon in each hand, the double sword now becoming two separate blades.
The Gungnir began to hunt down targets and rocket towards them. The first spider it found saw it coming. It turned and blasted the armour with its two main cannons, firing at almost point-blank range. The two plasma beams rocketed towards the Gungnir. Luis crossed the blades of his two plasma swords, absorbing the beams and their energy. He immediately pulled the blades apart, flinging back one powerful beam that knocked the spider clean out of the sky.
Baldur, the hawks’ commander, realised that he and his squadron were now also superfluous to the battle. Despite their skill, the spiders were ultimately superior spacecraft to their own; if the hawks remained in the combat zone they were liable to suffer further fatalities. Besides, the Gungnir had proven that it was perfectly capable of looking after itself.
“All spacecraft, return to the Valhalla. It needs our support against the Hekkar battleship. The great Gungnir shall continue the battle against the spiders. We shall let him enjoy the glory of combat,” Baldur maneuvered, unable to stop gazing at the majesty of the Gungnir.
“Baldur, the Second Squadron has been deployed. We must weaken the battleship’s shield and destroy its engines. Remember, we cannot use our main weapons in the atmosphere,” he noticed the anxiety in Brunilda's voice, he was also aware of the urgency they had.
“I know. While we could destroy the enemy in moments, should we decide to do so, we would also irretrievably damage the people of the city. Us Einherjars will take on this mission, fear not.”
“Also, we are still trying to control the new systems that have been unblocked now the Valhalla is fully activated.”
“I understand. And I need not remind you of our diminished crew. But we have survived worse situations.” He couldn't help but smile as he remembered.
“One final thing… Eskandal has found new units in one of the hangars. The Valkyries are examining them now to see if they can be used to support you.”
“New units? Most curious. Do what you can. We shall try to gain as much time as possible,” Baldur was intrigued thinking if they would be as amazing as the Gungnir.
Moments later, all the surviving hawks withdrew on Baldur’s command and headed towards the terrifying Hekkar battleship. As the hawk pilots flew past the Gungnir they couldn’t help but throw it admiring glances.
The Gungnir was firmly engaged in combat, on a mission to seek out and destroy spiders. Whatever the spiders did, however much they changed shape and fired back, once the Gungnir reached them the result was always the same. They were sliced into pieces and exploded mid-air. Their force fields were now useless; all it took was the merest brush of the Gungnir’s plasma swords and they were instantly destroyed. The Gungnir wielded the blades effortlessly, crushing the spiders with devastating lightning strikes.
37º 22’ 57” North, 5º 59’ 46” West
Near the Torre del Oro, Seville
23:00 GMT+1
Luces was still filming. She had taken shelter under the protection of a building opposite the Torre del Oro, a medieval watchtower by the river. From the moment she had begun to broadcast live, every television viewer had switched over to her coverage. And not just in Spain, but around the world too. Over a hundred and twenty channels had linked to Spain’s national channel and were retransmitting her broadcast. The entire planet was transfixed by the young reporter’s story, hanging on her every word as images of the extraordinary battle taking place in Seville were forever engraved on their minds.
Tristan and his parents were among the millions of viewers who were glued to their television screens. Guillermo fidgeted on the sofa, checking his mobile phone every couple of minutes. Worried about his missing son, he was also concerned for his friends and colleagues at the air base. The final message he had received from Aguilera had said that they were about to activate the Claymore Protocol and that the pilots would take off shortly. It had affected him deeply. He wished he could have been at the Morón Command Centre helping somehow. But he had to resign himself to being a mere spectator, just like everyone else. He was just another pensioner now. Isabel had only managed to hold back her tears for one brief moment when Tristan showed her the email from Luis. Sadly, her moment of calm barely lasted a few minutes, when she realised that her eldest son wasn’t replying to Tristan’s message.
Luis’s message had said that he was safe and hiding in a restaurant on the Alameda. The Odén family hoped that the reporter would head to the same area; perhaps they could see what state the zone was in and even snatch a glimpse of Luis. Their hopes were dashed when she headed south, in completely the opposite direction. They couldn’t blame her; the city centre was an utter hellhole. All that could be heard in the background was the sound of tremendous explosions, tracer missiles, plasma beams, fighter jets and horrendous transforming spaceships. And that wasn’t all. New spacecraft had suddenly joined the battle amid the continuous boom of titanic plasma bolts fired by the giant spaceship that had originally attacked the city. And now a new type of object had appeared; the camera couldn’t focus on it properly but it appeared to be wiping out the spiders. It was like a war scene from a science fiction film. The only difference being that this was very real and hundreds of innocent people were dying.
Luces swallowed hard. She was aware that her initial burst of energy had been due to the adrenaline coursing through her veins. But it was bound to run out soon and then panic would take over. She heard Ana Fernández’s voice on her mobile phone.
“Maria, rest a little longer. We’ve linked up to the government spokesperson. They’re giving an update on the situation. As far as we can tell, the new spaceships are friendly but they haven’t said who or what they are… Ground troops have also arrived in the city. My contact at the Ministry of Defence mentioned that one of the deployment points was Plaza de España… Do you think you could make it there?” Fernández was becoming increasingly uneasy about her safety.
“Yes,” Luces could tell from her tone what she wanted.
“OK, well, I’d like you to head over there and stay with the soldiers. They’ll protect you.”
“I’m not leaving.” She shook her head, it was very clear to her that she would not rest until everything was over.
“I wasn’t telling you to leave. I just want you to carry on broadcasting with people who can take care of you,” Fernández reiterated, aware that if they lost her, they would be left without a scoop.
“Fine.” Luces didn't want to waste more time.
“Let’s see… How much battery have you got left?”
“Two bars. About half an hour, I think.”
“Well, if you don’t get another battery or phone, I’m afraid that means we’ve only got thirty minutes of our exclusive left.”
“I’ll see what I can do. I’ll head towards San Telmo Bridge to film the scene there and then go over to Plaza de España along the Paseo de Cristina. Link me up now,” Luces needed to move.
“OK, going live in ten seconds…”
Luces limped across the street. She had lost her shoes some time ago and her feet were stained with blood. She must have cut them at some point, she couldn’t remember when.
“Going live,” Fernández alerted as she gave the signal to connect it.
“We’re now approaching all that remains of San Telmo Bridge. As you’ll remember, it was attacked and destroyed during my first broadcast. As you can see, all that’s left is smoking rubble. The entire structure has collapsed and the piers can barely remain upright…”
She limped over to the edge and filmed the water below, its surface disturbed by pieces of rock, cement, beams and… Bodies. Luces quickly turned the camera away.
“We’re in the middle of an ongoing tragedy. Wherever you look there are signs of destruction and the bodies of innocent victims. Meanwhile, the battle continues to rage above my head. No combat like it has ever been seen on this planet before…”
She raised the camera up to the sky to film the two enormous spaceships that were still relentlessly firing at one another. A swarm of smaller spacecraft was also attacking one of them. She then tried to film the most recent object to appear in the sky. No one had been able to capture it in any great detail yet, it moved too fast. But one thing was clear: it was making life very difficult for the enemy spacecraft that had been attacking them.
“As you can see, the strange spaceships that have appeared at the last minute are battling hard against the ones that attacked us. We don’t know where any of them are from, but the two sides appear to be sworn enemies. Let’s hope our new allies carry the day. If they succeed, they’ll be our saviours, along with the brave pilots and soldiers who are giving their lives for us today…”
It was time to head to Plaza de España. Her battery was running out. Perhaps a soldier could lend her another one or had a spare phone. She crossed Paseo de las Delicias onto Paseo de Cristina. When she was about to reach Puerta de Jerez, she spotted a group of soldiers about a hundred yards away. Legionnaires armed with assault rifles. Two were also carrying missile launchers.
“Look! I’ve just spotted some legionnaires. It looks as though they’re about to attack one of the hostile spacecrafts.”
She stumbled towards them but her feet hurt too much to move fast. Meanwhile, the soldiers were preparing their missile launchers and looking determinedly over at the far side of the river. Luces turned to see what they were looking at. It was one of those evil spacecrafts. Its limbs were stretched outwards and pointing at the mysterious object up in the sky. It fired its two cannons, the flash blinding anyone who happened to be nearby. Just then, she heard the soldiers shout “fire” and seconds later two missiles rocketed towards the enemy spacecraft, exploding on its force field. Luces reacted quickly and was able to capture the entire sequence on film. Unharmed, the spider wheeled around and flew over to the legionnaires who were now desperately shooting at it with their rifles while they tried to reload the missile launchers. The spacecraft mercilessly pointed its cannons at them and fired. Luces was halfway to the group but not close enough to be hurt by the explosion. Even so, the blast knocked her off her feet and she fell heavily to the ground. The soldiers weren’t so lucky; not a single legionnaire survived the blast. All that remained was a smoking crater where the unit had once been.
Luces pulled herself up, determined to keep on filming, when the spacecraft slowly turned to face her. Now it was heading towards her.
“Oh no…” she gasped.
Viewers at home watched in horror as the spider pointed its cannons at the presenter.
“Maria, get out of there!” She managed to hear Fernandez's desperate cry.
It was too late and Luces knew it. She had evaded death for too long. Her time was finally up. And she didn’t mind, it didn’t matter. She felt a deep sense of calm in her final moments. She should have died on the bridge, along with Carlos. Instead, she had been granted a reprieve, a little more time to make her dream come true. To become a great reporter, admired by all. In a hundred years’ time, people would still remember her story.
She pointed the camera at herself.
“Goodbye, mom, dad…” she murmured, tears streaming down her cheeks, her expression serene.
Now she turned the camera back on the spider. Its cannons were pointing straight at her. She could see the energy build up inside them before the shot was fired.
Suddenly, a flash of light cut the spider in two and it split apart in a huge explosion that blew Luces off her feet. She banged her head on the ground and noticed a sticky liquid soak through her hair. But she never let go of the camera, determined to film until the very end.
The last thing viewers at home saw was the majestic new object emerge from the flames of the blast, its outline set against a resplendent full moon. It was the Gungnir. It hovered above the ground, two lethal blades in its hands. For a brief moment Luces felt as though that thing, that giant suit of armour, was staring right at her. But not at her face, at her heart. A sensation of warmth spread through her body. Then she was enveloped by darkness…
Fernández watched the images, dumbfounded. Tears were brimming in her eyes. She couldn’t believe what had just happened. She tried ringing Luces but there was no reply. The phone had finally slipped out of Luces’s hand and it lay on the ground, filming her face. It was impossible to say whether she was alive or dead. Finally, a few seconds later, the signal was lost. The phone had run out of battery.
37º 22’ 57” North, 5º 59’ 36” West
Above Puerta de Jerez, Seville
That very moment
The Gungnir had just destroyed the spider. It paused for a moment, staring at the girl stretched out in the street. Her face momentarily came into focus, the image sharp even though Luis’s mind was still lost in the mist by the lake shore. Lying there, she reminded him of Raquel and Eva. This was the flame he was fighting for, for people who couldn’t protect themselves. To prevent the world being consumed by chaos. He soared up into the air in search of new targets. His sensors quickly detected the enemy. Ten more spiders had just left the Hekkar battleship. They were flying towards him in formation.
There was no time to lose. He couldn’t fail again; every wasted second meant the loss of more innocent lives. It had to end once and for all, for everyone’s sake. His enemies must be vanquished. The lake turned into liquid fire, whirling around him in an overwhelming frenzy.
It happened at lightning speed. First, the ten new spiders began a ruthless attack, but Luis readily evaded their shots. Next, the modules that were attached to his back began to stretch outwards and flex forwards. There were five on either side of his body. Luis forged the two hilts of his swords together again and stored them on his left leg, then picked up the cannon that was attached to his right leg. He rested his wrathful gaze on each of the spiders as they approached in a hailstorm of plasma beams and bolts. Briefly pausing, he was surrounded by a swirl of light and destruction. Then each of the modules on his back fired a powerful blue beam that instantly found its target. The ten spiders were blown up in a chain reaction that illuminated the skies above Seville.
The spiders had now been virtually obliterated. Those that remained were retreating towards the battleship. Its situation had changed drastically. Instead of dominating the battle, it was under intense fire from around twenty hawks that were launching a punishing attack on its shield. Its force field was weakening fast under the combined firepower of the smaller spacecraft and the Valhalla. The battleship’s anti-aircraft defences weren’t enough to fend off the assault and it had just lost the last remaining spider reinforcements in one fell swoop. It aimed several of its plasma cannons at the Gungnir. Whoever was in charge was determined to destroy the flying armour by whatever means possible.
The Gungnir had just destroyed one of the fleeing spiders when it sensed several plasma bolts hurtling towards it. It instinctively moved to avoid a direct hit and activated its special shield. Nonetheless, the impact was devastating; it was flung around wildly through the air. But its shield withstood the blast and the suit of armour survived unharmed.
The moment had come. It was time to take out the Hekkar battleship. The Gungnir accelerated, reaching the vast spacecraft in a matter of seconds. The battleship now focused all of its firepower, both its plasma bolts and ion cannons, on the Gungnir. The hawks that had been swirling around and attacking the battleship realised what was happening and cleared a path for the suit of armour to attack. Once the way was clear, the Gungnir began to circle the enemy spaceship, and released a series of shots. The shield withstood the first few blasts but the third penetrated its defences and blew up one of its defensive cannons. The relentless onslaught of plasma beams that followed caused irreparable damage to the battleship’s weapons and armour.
Now the Valhalla joined the attack. Its plasma bolts instantly wreaked havoc and within seconds the entire Hekkar battleship glittered with detonations and explosions. The Valkyries soon realised that it was revving up its engines and starting to accelerate upwards.
“They are trying to flee! Cowards! Eskandal, is the leap inhibitor operative?” Brunilda shifted in her position on the bridge.
“No! The Valhalla is fully activated but our operating capacity is minimal. It would take several hours, even days, to adapt all our protocols to theirs. We have only been able to interrupt their transmissions,” Eskandal continued to work against the clock in the newly discovered hangar.
“Gungnir… Luis… If you can hear us, you must not let that spaceship escape or it will mean the end of this planet!” Brunilda pleaded, knowing what would happen if their enemy succeeded in slipping away.
The battleship had to begin its getaway from an altitude of ten thousand feet and the Valhalla was above it, blocking the fastest escape route from the Earth’s atmosphere. It had no alternative but to manoeuvre around the Valhalla and try to find another way up into space. Both the Valhalla and the Gungnir continued to fire at it, now aiming at its engines, but even their combined forces weren’t enough. If it managed to leave the planet and reach the void of space, it would be able to activate its leap system and disappear for good.
The Gungnir knew that the spaceship mustn’t be allowed to escape. Once again Luis was struck by images of a great darkness swallowing everything, this time not just Seville but the entire planet. The vast devouring black eye destroying everything and everyone. Scenes of death and suffering flooded the surface of the lake in his mind. He must do whatever he could to prevent it. The Gungnir sped after the battleship, folding up the modules on its back as it focused on one sole target. Then, something completely unexpected happened. Just as the Gungnir was accelerating, the modules on his back all fired their plasma beams. The effect was cataclysmic, as would later be attested by the thousands of witnesses down on the ground. It was as if an enormous gleaming spearhead was hurled at the enemy spaceship at the speed of light.
The battleship was cleaved in two in a tremendous explosion that was immediately followed by several further blasts in a chain reaction that rapidly spread across its hull. The two sections of the spaceship were rendered useless, their propulsion, inertia inhibition and gravitational systems destroyed. Each half began to crash earthwards while more and more explosions spread across their surfaces. Finally, what was once the upper section blew apart in another great detonation, scattering millions of pieces across the province of Seville. The lower half eventually crashed on the outskirts of the city, near San Pablo Airport and the European Aerospace Centre.
Preston had been watching the sequence of events in astonishment. He could hardly believe what he was seeing. His fighter jet was almost out of fuel and he urgently had to return to Morón. But he had to risk staying a few moments longer. What would happen next? Supposedly they were saved… But what would their allies do now?
He scanned the skies for Armour using the Eurofighter’s cameras and the naked eye; he had lost it from sight once it had destroyed 2012 UA. Suddenly, he spotted it with his viewfinder. It was plummeting lifelessly from a great altitude. What had happened? Had the pilot been injured, or had it run out of fuel? He wheeled around for a closer look but there was nothing he could do to help. The Gungnir crashed heavily into a field in the outskirts of Seville, near the town of Dos Hermanas.
Preston flew over it, skimming the ground. The extraordinary suit of armour was lying face upwards. It wasn’t moving but, miraculously, it appeared to be intact. He intended to fly overhead one more time before calling for a rescue team to come to its aid when two crimson shadows crossed his path at high speed. They almost made him lose control of his aeroplane. Looking through his camera, he was left open-mouthed once again. Two new units had appeared. They were similar in concept to Armour, but were smaller and notably different. The new units were now clumsily lifting Armour up by its arms, succeeding on the third attempt. Then they activated the jets in their feet and swiftly flew up into the sky. Preston watched them in amazement until they were lost from sight in the darkness of the firmament. He tried to spot the other huge spaceship but there was no trace of it. His radar didn’t pick up any contacts either, other than the allied fighter jets.
“Sparrowhawk 1, Diablo Squadron Leader here. I’ve lost contact with the unknown allied units. Have you got anything?” Preston kept looking for moving points of light above his head.
“Negative, Diablo Squadron Leader. All contacts have disappeared. We’ve received reports from several units saying that the mothership ascended and disappeared,” Sparrowhawk 1 replied.
“Colonel Hidalgo here. What’s going on? We felt the blast of 2012 UA exploding all the way over here in Morón,” his voice was a mix of relief and nervousness.
“Armour shot right through 2012 UA and then crashed. It was recovered by two new unknown units and then all three disappeared. I’m flying over the 2012 UA impact site… Things don’t look good. We’d better send some people over there right away,” Preston stared at the flaming wreckage on the surface.
“We’re already on it. We’ve just sent an Armadillo reconnaissance group,” Colonel Hidalgo saw General Echevarría who did not stop giving orders.
“Understood. Have you heard anything from Commander Aguilera?”
“Not yet. He activated his emergency beacon but we haven’t made contact yet. A rescue team is on its way, but Seville is complete chaos right now.”
“We’re returning to base. We’re out of fuel and the aerial battle is definitely over,” Preston sighed, feeling exhausted at last.
“General Echevarría wants you to meet with him immediately. He’s in the middle of a videoconference with NATO commanders and they’re waiting for you to give a direct report.”
“Fine. All squadron leaders, Diablo Squadron Leader here. Coordinate with Morón Command to return to your bases. Dolphin Squadron, establish an aerial safety perimeter around the 2012 UA impact site,” Preston prayed wishing that this damn nightmare had really ended.
Then he and Takeda swerved around to head back towards Morón Air Base. Their fuel tanks weren’t the only ones to be almost empty. The battle might finally be over, but Preston couldn’t help thinking that tonight had changed everything for humanity. And perhaps it wasn’t the last battle, but the first of many. A steely determination began to harden inside him. They wouldn’t catch him off-guard again. He owed it to Chapman, to Curtis, to so many men and women who had given their lives in battle. Sorrow and grief began to well up inside his heavy heart but he wouldn’t permit himself the luxury of mourning yet. There would be time for that when it was all over. They had to find Aguilera and the other missing pilots. Secure the perimeter of the 2012 UA impact site. And above all, solve the many enigmas of what had really happened tonight. He let out a deep sigh and glanced over at Takeda’s cockpit. The young pilot met his eyes; he was also trying to control his emotions. Preston gave him a thumbs up. They both knew they had to be strong. They couldn’t be overwhelmed by their grief. Looking firmly forwards, they began their final approach on Morón. There was still much to do.
63º 25’ 10” North, 10º 24’ 07” East
Office of Professor Jorgen Hågensen, Norwegian University of Science and Technology. Trondheim, Norway
23:30 GMT+1
Since he had been alerted to the incident in Seville, he had been glued to his computer screens and the television in his office. At first, it had been the tragedy itself that had grabbed his attention. But when the Spanish reporter had focused her camera on that astonishing suit of armour, his insides had begun to churn. He had seen the same image a thousand times before. Overwhelmed by excitement and disbelief, his hands still trembled from the shock. One detail in particular had captured his imagination. A symbol that stood out on its helmet. That elongated X with two small rhomboids on either side. He had recognised it instantly. It was the same symbol, the same mark, the same rune. The one he had drawn countless times in his notebooks. The same symbol he had discovered ten years earlier in one of his submarine explorations. The one that had fascinated and obsessed him in equal measure ever since. And had led his fellow scientists to call him crazy just months earlier. When he had seen it on the television, a smile had irresistibly spread across his face. At long last he had the undeniable proof that he was right. The time had come. The whole world would now know the truth, the truth that he had guessed at many years ago. Finally, he could reveal to all what the mark of Odin truly was.