General Briggs puts down the phone, just finishing his call with his counterpart in the Australian military.

  “Director? I need to speak with you privately for a moment.”

  Holden looks over, the stoic woman betraying nothing.

  “Of course, General.”

  They find a secluded corner of the hangar bay, still being used as a command center.

  “I’ve just received word that Machina recovered multiple items of interest from the first Fracture,” General Briggs says softly.

  “What did he find?”

  “A magically infused thermonuclear warhead. No analysis on yield or viability, but Machina is sure it is disarmed. It has a mechanical firing mechanism that is off.”

  “Is he keeping the weapon for himself? He was given the legal salvage rights.”

  “We don’t know. He hasn’t said anything else about it. He’s currently on his way to the next aquatic Fracture.”

  “Do you know what he wants to do with it?”

  “He’s asking us to dismantle it. He sounds genuinely afraid of it. I can’t say I blame him. I’m surprised you’re so calm about it.”

  “Getting emotional about it will solve nothing, something you should keep in mind, General. What price is he asking for it?”

  “Nothing, he intends to give it to us, as long as we promise to dismantle it. He made a good point about it providing useful materials for study. It truly is a unique opportunity for research.”

  “I agree, General. It is a unique opportunity. One that we should take firmly with both hands. It could give us an unprecedented advantage over our enemies. I will make the arrangements to take it off him.”

  “I don’t mean to countermand you, ma’am, but this seems a little outside your jurisdiction.”

  “It’s a matter of national security, General. It’s well-within my jurisdiction. While its existence or its fate are not or will not be secrets, where it is must be. This is where I excel.”

  “I understand, ma’am.”

  “Good. Back to work.”

  In Beijing, President Zheng meets with Guan Yu, China’s premier Ascended and top general.

  “You are sure of this, General Guan? Machina has truly recovered a nuclear weapon?”

  “Yes, Mr. President. I am sure. We should focus on our own aquatic Category-3 Fractures. I would also recommend we attach harvesting teams to follow in the wake of any Empowered we send in.”

  “Should we try to recover the warhead currently in Machina’s possession?”

  General Guan strokes his long beard in thought.

  “No. I doubt he will sell it. I imagine he’ll give it up. Any offers to buy it will only drive him farther away. Obviously, force will never work.”

  “Could we try to convince him to give it to us in the interest of non-proliferation? We are a nuclear country with a no-first-use policy, unlike America.”

  “No, he wouldn’t trust us. His American upbringing is too strong for now. I suggest once it becomes known he gave it up, we send him a letter of gratitude. Even ask him for help on a few Fractures, though later. Once he’s done with his blitz.”

  “We don’t need his help. We have the most Empowered of any rank in the world.”

  “Correct, but it will get him here. Give us a chance to talk to him. To work with him, and him, us,” General Guan points out.

  “Do you think you can convince him to join us?”

  “I can only try. I have a few ideas. I’ll need to speak with Yangui first.”

  President Zheng leans back in his chair. Despite his age, his hair is still dark, though age lines mark his face.

  “Alright. We’ll do as you suggest. A letter of gratitude for efforts of non-proliferation, and a request for assistance after his blitz.”

  Guan Yu stands up, salutes, and leaves the room.

  It takes just an hour for us to make it to the second aquatic Fracture, and this one is a Category-2, as reported. It’s a nice spring—fall in Australia— day, and the ocean is calm. Unlike me.

  I think bringing back the nuke was a mistake. When I took it, I was so scared of giant underwater monsters I forgot about the ones that were already here before The Apotheosis.

  Director Holden was understanding about it, and actually agreed with my request. I was surprised, but I suppose I shouldn’t be. Weapons of mass destruction are terrible for anyone. As much as I dislike Director Holden, I have to believe she’s smart enough to see that.

  “Don’t worry, Machina. I’ll have the warhead dismantled. If you think we’ll need more powerful weapons to deal with Kajiu, should they exist, we’ll get more out of the warhead as research material than anything else.”

  “You will? I figured you’d want to keep it.”

  “The thought crossed my mind, but this is a marathon, not a race. A single weapon won’t do us any good. Understanding will be more important in the long run.”

  This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.

  It figures someone like her would be playing the long game. It does seem odd that the Director of the NSA would have pull over nuclear weapons, but maybe she’s just the go-between? We’ve been working fairly closely together, despite my contentions with her… well, everything.

  Most of the information on domestic Fractures came from her and the agency she runs. The ones at home I’ll be taking care of are brand new Cat-3s, and I’ll be cleaning those up after my European thunder run.

  Every hour the war plan is updated as new Fractures appear. Sometimes other teams clear Fractures quicker and with fewer injuries than expected, allowing them to clear some that were on my docket. I don’t mind. Every Fracture cleared is a life saved, no matter who’s clearing it.

  Most of the time though, it’s the opposite. A Fracture turns out to be more dangerous than expected, and future clear attempts get pushed back. Trying to clear so many Fractures is like trying to fight the tide. You get nowhere but tired quickly.

  Though with my recovery of a nuclear weapon, all the aquatic Fractures have been taken off the list. The nations that have them are claiming they’ve developed new tactics for them and no longer need me. What a strange coincidence.

  Even when we’re supposed to be working together, the power games never end. Don’t they ever get tired of it?

  The boss of this Fracture, a Nomad Crab, dies quickly. I bat away a Great White shark, the fodder enemy. They swarm like schools of fish, and do nothing but annoy me.

  Another one lunges for me. I bury my fist in its brain and toss the corpse aside. This Fracture is a huge coral reef, blown up in size. Each coral structure is the size of skyscrapers, and they tower far above me.

  Strange shapes cast shadows against the surface of an ocean that doesn’t exist. They dance and twist in breath-taking swoops I’m sure can’t be done without magic. I wonder what they are, what they’re from. The Fractures don’t make anything up, only taking from things around them and changing them in strange ways.

  Beautiful.

  I have to move along though, I was only budgeted two hours for this and I’ve spent half that tracking down the boss here. I quickly search under nearby coral ranges for anything interesting. I come across a cavern, filled with dozens of car-sized clams.

  I pry them open, and manage to scoop out huge pearls the size of basketballs. They look almost transparent, like they’re made of crystal. Potentia pours off them. I’m sure magical pearls the size of a basketball has some use, somewhere. I store them away before moving back towards the exit.

  Time’s up. Things to do, monsters to kill.

  I didn’t find anything nearly as interesting as the last Fracture. For the better, really. It took the destroyer I was on an hour to get from the first Fracture to this one, and in that hour I received no less than fourteen messages regarding the sale of the nuclear warhead.

  I even received a message from the International Atomic Energy Agency, the IAEA. They implored me to hand over the device for dismantling in the interest of all humankind.

  Don’t have to tell me twice.

  I really regret bringing that nuke back.

  A few more Great Whites lunge for me, but I lazily slap them away. They aren’t worth my time. I quickly leave, adding even more Fractal Shards to my quickly growing horde of them. I feel like a dragon, sometimes.

  Or maybe more like an RPG player with poor inventory management.

  After pushing back into Earth’s oceans, I look up. Captain Anderson’s destroyer looms high above me, cutting a swath through the ocean like a circling shark. A powerful leap through the water lets me land on the destroyer’s gun deck. The ship rocks as my jump leaves the sea thrashing violently. Nothing a Navy destroyer can’t handle, though.

  “Ready to go, Captain.”

  “Anything interesting?

  “A few dozen giant magical pearls. Didn’t find anything else in time.”

  “Well, we’ll take you back to Sydney. A Chinook’s ready for you there. You’re headed to the Outback.”

  “I always wanted to visit the Outback. I’m looking forward to it. Thanks for the ride, Captain.”

  “Nah, Machina. Thank you. Really. You’re a goddamn hero, you know?”

  The Chinook is screaming over the Outback as we fly towards the Fracture I’m set to clear. I’m joined inside by a few officers. One of them, a young man, talks to me over the intercom.

  “Machina, do you have any plans for the warhead?”

  “I plan to give it up for dismantling. The US government has offered to dismantle it for me. They have facilities for it, and they’re going to use the materials for research.”

  He nods and leans back.

  “Well, I think I can speak for everyone and say we’re glad for that. Here I was, ready to convince you to give it up.”

  “I would have thought you’d be offering to buy it.”

  “No, no. Australia is very much a proponent of nuclear non-proliferation. If anything, we would have acquired it on behalf of the US for dismantling. Glad to see that it’s already taken care of.”

  The temporary military base outside this Fracture is teeming with soldiers. There’s even a few dozen Empowered, all in the 2 Starred or lower range. The base commander, a Colonel, meets with me.

  “Glad you’re here, Machina. Now, we’ve had a slight change in plans, if you’re willing.”

  “What is it?”

  “Given there’s been people pulling out valuable magical materials from these Fractures, we’d like to send in a harvesting team with you.”

  He points to a rapidly assembling group of around forty people. A dozen of them are Empowered, but the rest are Typicals, normal people without any powers.

  “I know you’ve been given the salvage rights to the Fractures themselves, but we’d be wondering if you’d be willing to give them up. We can compensate you, if you’d like.”

  “What do you want with the materials?”

  “Research. Morgan le Fay might be unrivaled when it comes to magical power and talent, but she’s not the only genius out there. You know as well as I do just how out-gunned we are. We need new weapons, new technologies. New everything, really.”

  The platoon is strapping on the last few pieces of gear, and there’s even a few cargo trucks lining up. Hopefully they can enter. They all look to me expectantly. Fear, awe, hope, and more dance like sparks in their Auras.

  “You want to send low Starred and Typicals into a Category-3? You do understand the risks, right? I can’t protect that many people. I can’t promise I’ll bring them home.”

  The Colonel, an older man with graying hair gives me a hard look.

  “Everyone is aware of just how dangerous Cat-3 Fractures are. We also know just how important magical materials will be going forward. Everything inside a Fracture is magical in some way. Whether we like it or not, we need those resources if we want to survive. Australia is mostly empty. Who knows how many Fractures we’re missing every day? If we want a fighting chance, we have to take risks.”

  “I can’t protect that many people.”

  “Everyone you see here volunteered.”

  I can feel the steel in the platoon’s Auras. It wars with fear, uncertainty, and nervousness.

  “If I say no?”

  He gives me a wane smile.

  “We’ll send them in anyway.”

  I lightly nod.

  “Fine. We go in together.”

  Please God let me keep them safe.