The Crest
Chapter 56: Ethylene Gas

“They’ve entered the nursery,” a voice boomed over the hand-held radio from the Crefor commander. “You’d better evacuate. The Crest has fallen. I repeat the Crest has fallen. We failed you, Danielle.”

“You didn’t fail anyone, Commander, you did everything asked of you.” The radio crackled with gunfire and then died.

“Crefor Commander, are you there? Crefor Commander, are you there?” Static. “Team Cybes, did you copy that transmission?”

Axel’s voice came over the radio. “We copy, madam executive director, Team Cybes is on the move.”

“Copy that, Team Cybes. God Speed.”

Out in the nursery, the battle hardened Antisis began chopping down the seedlings. “We’ve got them now,” their commander said. “Take ’em down, boys, these demon trees have seen their last days. Get the gasoline, gentlemen, we’re gonna torch this place.” There were noticeable clicks moving across the grounds like a wave. “Hoo-eee, the devil trees are talking now boys!”

Back in the FORC headquarters a few miles away, the giant computer screen lit up with activity. Danielle, Karl, and Fernando watched the screen and the plant sensors with utter dismay. Beside each sector of seedlings were the readings for the five hormones including ethylene gas, volatile organic compounds, terpenes, soil moisture, nutrients, photosynthesis, oxygen, and CO2. Each reading was in the red with arrows spiking up and down like a life-support machine in a hospital emergency room.

Groups of researchers grabbed their M4s and ran out to fight in the nursery while the rest of the scientists positioned their weapons behind sandbags outside of the research buildings. As the Antisis hacked away at the seedlings with their machetes, the clicking in the nursery became shriller.

The commander of Team Cybes addressed the group of 120 fighters over the radio, “All men in position.”

“Gladiators copies.”

“Night train copies.”

“Thunder copies.”

“Wizards copies.”

“Okay motherfuckers, you know why we’re here. Light ’em up boys!”

“Ooo rah. Hooah, Oo rah, Hooah.” The screams came across the radio. Suddenly, the nursery was ablaze with gunfire.

From her office window, Danielle could see the firefight in the darkness along the nursery perimeter, intermittent pulses of light followed by the delayed echo of gunshots. It was surreal. Up on the Crest, the battlement had been badly breached. Dead from both sides piled up along the length of the ridgetop wall. A few of the 50-caliber machine guns mounted up and down the Crest still blazed. The amount of Antisis casualties was enormous but hundreds penetrated the wall and ran straight to the nursery.

Back at the research headquarters, panic set in. “We’ve got fifteen minutes before they reach us. The seedlings are distressed and we’re also receiving wild signaling from the mother trees. What do you want to do?”

“What are the readings?”

“Readings? We won’t have a nursery left to get readings if we don’t do something,” Fernando yelled at his boss.

“Just give me the fucking readings, Fernando, and calm the fuck down.”

“Okay, carbon dioxide uptake at 30 micromoles per meter squared per second. Oxygen production is way low at around 10 micromoles per meter per second. Ethylene gas monitors are… what the fuck” … he hesitated, “astronomical at 230,000 ppm and rising quickly.”

“Wait, repeat the ethylene reading?”

“230,000 ppm is the ambient ethylene reading inside the nursery. The seedlings are going to be dead soon at this rate. They’re creating a toxic environment for themselves. Suicide?”

“Fuck, they’ll be dead within the hour. Noooo. What’ll we do, gentlemen? I need options quick.”

Karl jumped in. “They’re smart, Danielle.”

“I know they’re smart, Karl, but they seedlings are going to be dead soon.”

“Not necessarily. Remember, ethylene gas is more toxic to humans than to plants and especially at those readings. The LD50 for humans is at 660,” he said. “Exposure to 375,000 ppm of ethylene for even a few minutes is lethal to humans. With the oxygen declining, anyone out in the nursery will lose consciousness. I suggest you call our fighters back from the nursery now.”

“Are you serious, Karl? All that we have worked for could be gone in minutes?”

“Not kidding, Danielle. The seedlings have figured it out. They’ll survive. Pull the fighters out of the nursery so they don’t get exposed. It’s either that or die of ethylene gas poisoning.”

Danielle got on her hand-held radio and barked out an order. “Team Cybes. Retreat to the compound, I repeat, retreat to the compound. We’ll make a stand here.” She put the receiver down. “I hope you’re right, Karl.”

“Trust me on this one, Danielle.”

Axel received the order on his hand-held but was caught in a firefight and besides, he wasn’t going anywhere.

Damn the retreat.

“No can do on that one, madam executive director, we’re here for the grand finale,” the Cybes commander called Bones replied.

Team Cybes continued to fight in the nursery but they now became quickly outnumbered. Gunfire raged around the fighters.

“Stay down low, Cybes and wait till you see them. Sniper time.” Surrounded now, the Cybes lay down in their rows and waited until they saw the shadow of the enemy coming down the nursery. As the Antisis appeared, the Cybes opened fire with deadly accuracy. On and on it went, but now the volunteer militia took on casualties; they too were getting overrun.

Danielle got on the radio again. “Team Cybes, pull out of the god damn nursery now. This is a direct order. The nursery is filling with a toxic gas, you’ll be dead in a few minutes if you don’t come out now.”

“Stay or go team?” Axel screamed into the handheld.

“Stay.” They agreed.

“No can do on that, madam executive director. We’re staying for the final curtain. Take up your positions, team, they’ve breached the wall and they’re coming down like cockroaches. Gentlemen and women, if you ever wondered why the fuck you came to this god forsaken, hippie cluster-fuck of an enclave, this is why. Give ’em hell boys.”

Damn the incessant insect swarm.

Axel and his platoon opened fire on the hundreds of Antisis rushing down the rows from the Crest. The enemy began lighting the seedlings on fire with gasoline.

The nursery was ablaze, and a disturbed mountain lion named Paws prowled its territory. It’s roar echoed across the nursery, giving the Cybes courage.

“That’s my girl,” Axel said to himself as he heard his feline friend.

Axel heard screams from the surprised Antisis as the cougar tore into the intruders.

Up on the battlement, Keegan, Margot, Ben, and Lenore were overwhelmed. They got down on the parapet floor now and shot their rifles with deadly accuracy, but, the Antisis continued to close in from both sides.

“Don’t let them capture me,” Lenore said. “You know what to do. Promise me you’ll fucking do it.”

He stared into Lenore’s eyes. Her heart pounded against her chest in sheer terror. “I promise,” Ben said.

The Antisis moved down the parapet pushing the four defenders into the lower chamber of the flanking tower. The enemy inched closer to the four defenders.

“Ben, hand grenade on my command. Margot and Lenore keep us covered. One, two, three.” Both men stood up and threw their hand grenades down the parapet. Margot and Lenore kept firing their weapons at the enemy.

“Again, Ben.” The two defenders threw their hand grenades again. The explosions rocked the Antisis, a few bodies flew, but after a few minutes, they came closer to the four-some. In the smog, the four waited to see the enemy, at fifty feet on either side they saw them running now, their maniacal faces, their bloodshot eyes, they heard the delirium in their screaming voices.

“I’m out of ammunition,” Lenore said.

“Me too,” said Keegan.

On top of the flanking tower, a different defender climbed to the top. It was Agathe! Machine gun fire exploded out into the battlement. Agathe screamed, “You motherfuckers!”

She looked tiny compared to the huge weapon she controlled; the recoil shook her physique to the core. Emilio was there too, laid out on the ground and firing his M-4 The Antisis dead piled up, body upon body.

Agathe swung the heavy weapon and fired to the other side and took out more of the enemy. Her weapon smoked; she discharged the gun until it jammed. She struggled to remove the jam, but then bullets riddled her body and she fell limp to the ground.

Emilio looked at his dead companion. His anger intensified. He killed several more Antisis before he ran out of ammunition. Then he pulled out a knife and ran down the steps slashing Antisis fighters as they rushed up the flanking tower. Emilio charged into the enemy like a bull, stabbing, and slashing, until a bullet to the heart ended his run.

The Antisis controlled the battlement now. The four trapped inside the flanking tower looked at each other.

They all hugged. “Only a minute now,” Keegan said.

Their eyes revealed what they’d known all along. “It’s been quite a ride everyone,” Ben said. “I’m so proud to know you all.”

They heard the Antisis beating on the door.

The four inside remained serene. They understood their precious time on a dying planet had ended.

The combatants battered the door.

“I’m sorry,” Keegan said. “It’s time.”

He pulled out his pistol and counted three bullets in the magazine with one in the chamber.

Shot one rang out as the hinges on the door began to fail. Shots two and three as the Antisis pushed through the barricade. Finally, shot four sounded as they charged and the last defender, Keegan, fell to the floor, blood gushing from his head. The enemy entered the chamber and found four inert defenders positioned across each other. They scavenged what they could and left. Afterwards, a few of the bodies in that pile moved.

Thousands of the enemy moved on the nursery now, cutting and burning the seedlings with abandon. Danielle saw the fires from the FORC HQ and screamed in anger.

The ethylene gas concentration emitted by the seedlings rose. The thousands of Antisis scattered around the nursery became groggy and nauseous, their motion slowed, they faltered. After a few more minutes they lay down in the dirt and died.

Axel lay in the nursery row and fired his weapon until he ran out of ammunition. He felt sleepy, eyes heavy. He thought about his little girl swinging in the backyard. He loved his daughter with all his heart. He hoped she was safe in Wenatchee.

“This one’s for you, little girl,” he said. Then he laid down his head and died. The battle ended.