text: \[Warning: use of language, allusion to torture, violence\] It had been decided that the machine must go. I didn't find myself agreeing with Major Milic very much these days. His methods were harsh, brutal and he had become a fanatic. I'd call him more of a terrorist than a freedom fighter. But he was right, the machine had to go. I didn't have any confidence we could do it, however. The resistance had changed in the last couple years. The Emperor's personal secret project was brought online. Though it was round, it wasn't like it the “Death Star.” This Empire was real, and it made smarter decisions. It spent its time and money on a brain. CyCLOPS- Cybernetic, Control, Law-enforcement, and Online Policing System- changed the rules of human nature more and more every day. It make it possible for a few people to effectively watch the entire human populace at once. It watched, it learned, it analyzed, it predicted, and it remembered with perfect clarity all at a single time. I had been surprised at first when Major Milic rescued me from my prison, but not when I figured out what he planned to do. He needed me for two reasons. One- I could fly helicopters, the old ones without autopilot. Two- I knew where CyCLOPS was. And I suppose a third reason too; I would never turn him into the Imperial Union. I agreed to help, not that I had a lot of choice when everything I knew was lost and there was a gun in my face. I left the prison behind, but all the while knowing I would die with them instead. \~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~ CyCLOPS is not easy to get near. It was secret to begin with, but they knew better than to rely on that alone. Through torture, Major Milic's loyal team discovered a lot information about the facility. Though most work with it is done remotely, it has over 500 that work directly with the machine on-site. These are mostly fat technicians and overpaid civilians, not that Milic recognized civilians anymore. They wouldn't put up much of a fight when push came to shove. The security came from a reinforced, mixed-guard company made up of Sentinels and Assault Forces. One company of three platoons. Each platoon covered a 12-hour shift. One was on days, one on nights, one on recovery cycle at all times. They had six guard towers with heavy machine guns on the walled perimeter. The walls were made of carbonized concrete, the gate was heavy metal and automatic, and there was electrified razor wire across the top. Four roving patrols covered the exterior of the facility, rejecting any trespassers onto the "Navajo Sanctuary Reservation." At least one large armored vehicle was ready at all times for a quick reaction force. The rest of the on-shift platoon patrolled the inside of the compound and checked key points. If at any point the guards caught wind of our approach and intentions, the other platoons would be woken and activated as reserves. An entire company of heavily armed and armored Sentinels would be vastly too much to deal with, and we'd be slaughtered. We had to 1- approach undetected, 2- blind the guard towers so they could not shoot down our helicopters, 3- secure the barracks and take the reserves hostage before they could get to their arms room, 4- deal with the existing guards in the compound, 5- lock the gate to prevent the roving patrols from returning with more firepower, 6- break into and make our way into the facility, and at last, 7- blow CyCLOPS to high hell. None of the major processor banks can survive. No one knows the extent of its capabilities for certain, besides the Emperor and his chosen team, but it may likely begin to back up its data to external servers outside of the facility. The more we can destroy, the more we've set back the Empire, and the more time we’ve bought for a larger resistance to mobilize. They are dependent on the machine now. They will be weaker than they were before it's installation. But first, we had to get there. And I had a bad feeling. So many things could go wrong. \~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~ I listened as intently as I could to Milic's briefing. He'd thought of everything. Even from his little bunker hidden away from the world, he'd managed to gather a lot of intelligence. From his position at the top of the map, he could point out every section of the base, where we would land, where the satellite communications were, where the barracks and arms rooms were, where we would enter the facility, and more. I wasn't sure how he knew all of this. I think I didn't want to know. "Sam, are you fuckin' paying attention!?" His eyes seemed to glow from the light reflected off the map in the otherwise dark bunker. "What? Yes. I know where to land." Truthfully I'd never been the same since that prison. I couldn't focus on anything too long. "But after that?" "What... what am I doing after that? That wasn't... I didn't agree to-" "I don't give a shit. You're with me. I'm not letting you out of my sight." "Who's going to stay with the helicopter?" "Jacob will keep it running." He pointed to Powell, next to me. Anyone who knew him called him Powell. Only people who pretended to know him called him Jake or Jacob. They'd had a long history, but that told me how close they weren't. Powell's eyes locked with mine for a moment then looked away. He was a hostage here, too. He was the man that taught me to fly. He was old now. So was I. "I'm not shooting anyone." "That's fine. You'll help carry explosives. You've got no problem blowing this thing up. That's what we agreed on, right?" "Okay... right. I'm with you." "You're attached to my hip. You go where I fuckin' tell you and nowhere else. Is that understood?" "I'm with you." I growled. "3rd squad, alpha-team's goals are the communications array..." he continued. But again, I already wasn't listening. A faint whining grew in my ears, and I faded out into one of my blackout spells. After coming all this way, and everything I've worked for- everything I did to fight the Empire- it was probably Milic that was going to kill me. \~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~ During pre-flight checks with Powell, we talked a little bit. It was nice. I climbed up on top of the back of the bird to give the yoke a good look. "This piece of shit is not gonna fly." I interjected, looked at the rust near the blade hub. "It'll fly. I flew it yesterday." "The rotors are going to fall off before we get there." "No... but we're in for a bumpy ride. She definitely handles like a... heh heh, Sammy, you remember that old two-seater we flew up to that Appalachian relay station?" "Oh dear god, we almost died. On three separate occasions." I grinned. "We've been through tougher spots." Powell grinned too and climbed up the other side. His entire bald head wrinkled when he smiled. "Yeah... but we were younger men. And the Empire didn't rule the world yet." "Nothing lasts forever. Not youth, and not this crummy empire. They all fall down eventually. We're just giving it a good shove." "You really think we're going to win?" my grin faded. That old feeling returned. "I think so. Major Milic's got his plan down tight. He's resourced everything he needs. We have our opening. You don't think we can?" The yoke, despite several conditions I would normally reject, appeared okay. The blades were in surprisingly good condition. It would fly all the way to the scene of the crash. "I don't think so." "You need to give the guy more credit. I know you don't agree with his methods, but he's a warrior. This is what he was built for. You have that prison mindset still. The walls are all closed in around you." "Oh I don't think it's the prison that got to me," I looked out into the setting sun of the evening. The scenery from up here was incredible. "Is this about Lindsey?" "No. Lindsey's gone. This is about us. Now. Though I admit, it's hard to forget her face with a bullet in it. I'm glad she's not here to see this. This is going to be... a mess." Powell reached up and grabbed my hand and held it in both of his. "You've gotta have a little faith in this team. They know what they're doing." "I know. But this team never met the Emperor. I've met him, and... No one on earth knows what they're doing compared to him. He sees everything coming." "Sam, you have to believe we can win." "I know... there's a chance we can win. But we need to be ready. If it's not a trap now, it will be by the time we get there." The sun slipped from view, and we were left standing in the dark.