Short Story Excerpt: The Hero's Journey - Ch7

Overview: https://kaylinrosealexande.wixsite.com/kaylinalexanderbooks/post/short-story-the-hero-s-journey-the-others-pt-2

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Are you ready for an action-packed chapter? Because I am!

Content warning: mention and use of firearms

Chapter Seven: The Approach

Jason slid the paper in front of the hacker team. “Can anyone read this?”

One man, Sam, grabbed the paper and gave it a look. “It looks like a computer code, but I don’t—“ Sam cut himself off when he flipped the paper over and read the back. He looked back up at Jason. “What is this, exactly?”

“I was talking with Sadie Miller,” Jason explained. “I asked her what she was doing at the Others’ mothership on April 27th. She couldn’t verbally answer me, but she was able to write this. I think it’s a way to stop them.”

Sam looked at Lincoln, who gestured for Sam to give him the paper. Once in his hands, Lincoln narrowed his eyes at it. “We’ve been trying to figure out a way into the Others’ system for longer than you or Sadie have been alive, Jason. And she still created a virus to shut down their system.”

“I believe so,” Jason said. “I’ll take a team into the mothership. One of you guys can walk me through how to upload the virus.”

“Walk you through?” Sam repeated. “Jason, this isn’t the kind of thing you just walk someone through. No offense, but you’re not a computer tech.”

“Maybe not, but I picked up a few things from my sister,” Jason said.

“Jace,” Lincoln said softly, and Jason turned. “I know after what happened to Jessie, you don’t want to risk another life.”

“No, I don’t,” Jason said harshly. “But, no offense, your team isn’t used to fieldwork. You could die out there with no experience!”

“And you have no real experience hacking into an extra-dimensional computer and giving it a virus,” Lincoln pointed out. Jason glared at no one in particular, turning his gaze away from Lincoln to stare at the table, and unable to come up with a response. “Jace, think rationally. You need a hacker for this one. We’ve been poking around the Others’ computer for thirty years, Jace. With Sadie’s code, I think we could figure it out.”

Jason bit his lip, closing his eyes. He couldn’t bring himself to say anything, and just dipped his head in a single nod.

*****

About a half-hour later, Jason and Lincoln’s teams were armed, crouching beside the great door of the mothership. The giant metal craft glinted in the gibbous-moon light. “We’ll give you cover,” Jason whispered to Lincoln. “You guys find a computer, and get hacking.”

“No problem,” said Lincoln.

Jason turned to his team. “We wait for the Others to come out. Then we go in.”

Jason kept his eyes glued to the door, waiting for the precise second it opened. He powered up his weapon, a silent whrrrr humming between his hands.

“Jace?” Lincoln whispered from beside him

“Mm?” Jason responded, not taking his eyes away from the door.

“I just want you to know… I’m really proud of you.”

Jason swallowed hard. “Thanks. For everything.”

Lincoln clasped his hand on Jason’s shoulder, giving it a small squeeze before letting go.

A violent hum ran through the mothership beside the Rebels. With a loud rumble, the doors began to slowly open, a runway stretching out from the inside. A rigid army of Others marched out in perfect sync. Jason held out his hand with five outstretched fingers. Four, three, two, one.

The firing squad leaped to their feet, beginning to blast bright blue burst of energy at the Others, hitting a few of the stiffs and knocking them back off the runway. Jason and some members of his team circled around the hackers, giving them a clear shield. They made their way inside the mothership.

The inside had hues of green light and shadows, corridors going off in every direction, and Others pouring out of the halls. Jason aimed and fired at the nearest stiff, the androgynous figure screeching when the blue energy hit its knee. He started yelling and screaming at the creatures as the herd became denser and denser.

Eventually, the group made their way to a room with a large pulsing beam surrounded by consoles. “These look like computers,” Jason guessed. “Get to it, people! We’ll cover you!” Each hacker ran to a console station, with one member of Jason’s team guarding each of them. Jason stood by Lincoln, his eyes scattering around, blasting an Other if it looked at him the wrong way with its bloodshot eyes. His weapon whined when it ran out of ammo, but Jason was already in the process of replacing the magazine. He grunted sharply as something hit his right arm, which was still recovering from his fall.

“Jason!” Lincoln said from over his shoulder, starting to turn away from the computer.

“I’m fine, I’m fine; just get to hacking!” Jason said, standing up straight again to face the sea of Others that had begun to file into the room.

A cacophony from above caused Jason to glance upward. He muttered a swear beneath his breath. He felt his blood curl and turn to ice.

Above the consoles and still surrounding the beam, there was a balcony, and it was swarming with Others. They crawled over the railing, preparing to jump. “Fall back!” Jason yelled over the pandemonium of blasts and screeches. “We’re outnumbered!” Yelling and firing his way through the horde, he made his way toward the corridor they’d entered from. When he made it to a small clearing, he risked it to turn back. He saw members of his team following, and some of the hackers; but not all. There were still a few by the computers, refusing to surrender.

“Lincoln!” Jason cried over the tumult. He tried to run back into the room, but another wave of Others began to form a blockade. “Lincoln!” Jason tried to plow his way through, firing at as many Others as he could. But the throng of the enemy got denser and denser, pushing Jason and his squad back toward the wide opening of the door to the mothership. Just as the room was about to cut out of Jason’s vision, he saw Lincoln get pulled away from the console, as were the rest of his team.

Throughout the multitude of Others, Jason could see the hackers that didn’t stay behind being dragged off by clusters of Others, disappearing into one of the other corridors. Soon, Jason found himself outside with his team, and the door to the mothership began to close.

Jason let out a yell, racing after the runway that was quickly retreating back into the ship. But once Jason reached the ship, the door had already closed. Still yelling, Jason began hitting the door with the barrel of his weapon, grunting at each hit. When no progress was made, he fired the weapon, the blue energy colliding with the ship, vibrating softly off the surface. Jason continued back to his first tactic of hitting the ship, again and again, until the weapon slipped slightly in his sweaty hands, enough to skid against the ship at just the right angle to make Jason stumble. He dropped the gun to the ground and fell to his knees.

I'm gonna be honest, I have no idea how coding works.

This was fun! Can't wait for more!

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