The Invenios Expeditions | Chapter 8 - The Heist

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The sun rose over the baked sand horizon as the gargantuan shipping vessel, the decadus, passed the edges of the Sinai Peninsula and slowly reduced its strain on its engines. Its bow shuttered, then split open at its middle like a gaping maw, allowing seawater to rush in and out of the cavernous hold. Captain Sully, Samantha, I hope you both enjoyed your stay aboard the decadus. I certainly think my crew did. We can hold Whisper Dock open for five minutes before we get picked up by a satellite. Sadly, our goodbyes must be brief. Too brief. As always, Boris. Captain Sully, it was a pleasure to finally meet you. I wish you good hunting for whatever treasure you're searching for next. Thank you, Captain Fedorov, and thank you for the piggyback ride. Well, any friend of Samantha's. I trust you made out well last night. Yeah, the stakes are a little high for my blood, but I think I just about broke even. Hey, I'll see you on board, Sully. Yeah, I'm gonna get the lines ready to cast off. I wish you smooth sailing, Captain. Fair winds and following seas, Tully. Tully nodded and turned to head back down the interior dock to the Inveneos, where Gibson and Abigail were already busy untieing the cleats. It appears you haven't lost your penchant for playing cards, Samantha. Just glad we could help each other one last time. Are you sure all of your friends are on board? You know how we treat stowaways on the decadus. Yeah, I think so. They're eager to leave. I think they're worried I might wager the Inveneos on a hand of Baigao. We'd take that action. After all, the game is always rigged. The key is knowing who's rigging it. You should shove off. We're picking up a centi-billionaire off the coast of Mauritius, who wishes to indulge himself for a week. Ugh, cards are women. Hmm, mortal combat. Ugh. Come on, Boris. Won't you ever get tired of this, of looking the other way? I think you know too well that it's a professional hazard to question the whims of our clients. You should go. Yeah, I get it. It's actually the second time in a week that a boat captain told me to get off his ship. I just want you to know that I appreciate the ride through the Suez, and I appreciate the favor. I know you broke sanctuary protocol when you- It's okay, Sam. We go back. Listen, are you okay where you are? What, with Telly? Yeah. Yeah, it's under control. He's my chartered dejeta. Actually, I meant your submarine pilot. Yuki? We found her passed out in one of the spa pools at 4 a.m. last night. Fuck, how did she not drown? The pool was empty. Yeah. Yuki, well, sometimes she hits the ball a little hard. Clearly. Samantha? Yeah? Take care of yourself. One minute. Go. Take care of yourself, Boris. And, um- And? The offer still stands. You could work for Avatarra. You could get out of all- All this. All this. Maybe in another life, Samantha Kell. Samantha took one last look at her friend, and then walked briskly to the Inveneos, which had now cast off its last line and was about to begin cruising outward into the daylight of the Red Sea. Another lifetime. Captain Fedorov watched the Inveneos slowly motor away from the cavernous interior of the decadence, and passed the large Baobay doors. He idly checked his phone, verifying the new increase to his personal bank account, and barely noticed the tattooed brunette woman who was speaking into a red flip-flim behind him. When the Inveneos had fully exited the decadence, she approached him and gently wrapped her arm around his shoulder. Did you find what you were looking for? No. I checked the cargo hold of the Inveneos. It wasn't there. Shame. Did they say where they were heading? Jeddah. Saudi Arabia. I see. Be careful. Don't underestimate Samantha Kell. She better not underestimate me. No. Shit. Shit. The mercenaries are on the ground. They don't see me. Invisible Serena, you need to be a shadow now. Move quietly, quickly. Now. The pressurized fuel cell of the Zephyr ignited its last hydrogen pod, sending everyone within 50 yards to their knees again. Serena eyed Sala and Leban, still clutching their heads. Get up. Get up on your feet, Serena. You're worth the training. Deep breaths. Focus. Move your legs. Study. Study. Sprint. The world felt shifted at wrong angles as Serena pulled herself to her feet and staggered as fast as she could off the dark beach. Alarms erupted across Luhani and people ran outside to find the source of the explosion. The mercenary camp came instantly alive as cars and men swarmed toward the beach that was now ablaze. Patience. Serena stayed low. Wait. As King Beshu's men rushed past, Let's get a first. Many carrying water to extinguish the burning Zephyr. Wait for it. There's an opening. No. She inched forward, staying on the outside perimeter of the paramilitary camp. The shit. Stay low. Jeeps roared past her and several bands of men carrying guns sprinted by. They didn't see me. Just another shadow in the night. Eyes up Serena. Skyline. Skyline holds the ticket out. Serena's eyes scanned across the rooftops of brick and tins. There's gotta be something. Something useful. Something tells me. And then. There. And tin us. And I think that's a radio dome. Maybe I can recharge my PCOM and get a signal out. I could make contact with Leviathan through the dark wall. Leviathan through the dark water and cryptic channel. Shit. Hey, wait. Shut up. You don't want the people from the boat. Shut your goddamn mouth. Hey. Stop it. Hey, you're coming with me. Hey, let go. Let go of me. In a flash of movement, Serena sprung into action. And the man quickly doubled over, winded but not out. With a deaf turn, she flipped him over. Then with a swift practice move, she delivered a final decisive strike to his tent. Huh. Serena quickly removed the man's scarf, wrapping it around her face and hair, concealing her identity. The fire on the beach was now spreading to the other buildings in Lukhane. In the distance, Serena heard an oil drum explode, adding to the growing conflagration. Amidst the chaos, she moved with silent purpose toward the radio tower building several streets away. It's deserted. That's odd. It is here. I must have all rented a fire on the beach. Serena moved deeper into the building and was drawn by the sound of an air conditioner in a small room towards the back. Several computer terminals and a large radio console sat, bristling with dials and switches, with cables stretching up toward the antennas coming through a makeshift hole in the ceiling. OK, Serena. Her fingers danced over the keyboard, pulling up communication protocols and encryption software. On the right frequency, she turned the radio transmitter. Adjusting dials with precision. Come on. Come on. And there it was, the familiar beep of the encrypted channel. Serena quickly typed in her authentication code and established a secure connection. This is Darkwater agent Narobi. EV protocol, veracity code 437 Charlie Juliet Leemann. There shouldn't be any trouble in this. Copy. This is. Serena spun around to see Kasha and his Lieutenant Ahado enter the communications room. Step away from the radio. The bitch escaped. This is Salas fault. Oh. She then saw Sinclair enter casually behind them. S-Serena. Sinclair, what are you doing? Oh, oh, Serena. I'm, I'm so glad to see you. Help me. Kasha has apprehended me. He's, uh, he's forcing me to show him the Leviathan account. Let him go, Kasha. I can't do it. You will. I'm not able. So help me, God. I'll kill you, Sinclair. I told him it would take a Darkwater code to answer the encrypted. Sure, the damn bank accounts from this place of yours. Look, look here. This is the encrypted portal. You can see it right here. I told you there's a code needed, an input, but I'm telling you, I don't have it. Stop stalling. I don't have those codes, please. You're lying. I swear I'll paint these walls with your brains if you don't unlock those bank accounts. Kill him. He's worthless like the other. Bye, Mr. Sinclair. So much for being immortal. No, please, please, please. No, no, no, stop. I'll do it. All right, I have it. I have the code. I have it, not Sinclair. Just let him go. She's lying. I don't trust her. Just kill him. Achado, get the other prisoners and bring them to me. We can sell their organs. Especially her lungs. No! I said I'll do it! Stop! Kasha raised his hand, stopping Ahado from leaving the room. You. One chance. Thank the goddess. The code. This is to get everyone out. There. It's done. Check it. Yes. Yes. This is most of the Swiss accounts. This looks right. We're in. Here, I can show you. What do you mean, wait? Kasha, it's a real. There's billions here. I told you. How soon can you move the funds to Keshe? Less than an hour. Move funds. See here, Kasha. What are you doing, Sinclair? The funds are granulated over several dozen accounts to protect against discovery. Sinclair, are you helping me? We have to travel to Zurich to withdraw funds physically in most of these. But I can unlock these three here. And have currency transferred to an account. I can trow in Dubai. From there, I can change all the signatures to only give us access. Now that we have the dark water, the override code. You used me. Oh, I give you credit. You used me. Your friend belongs to us now. We need to leave the camp in the next two hours. Leave the country in 12. We could steal the king's plane. I've studied avionics and pilot training. I can be of help. What about all the other men? Take our best ten and leave the rest. We will buy a new army, a stronghold. Sinclair, what in the name of the goddess are you doing? I'm working with them, Serena. Working with them? You must be joking. Why? Because, my dear Serena, in the next six months, a new nation will emerge upon the global stage, fueled by the trillions of dollars contained in the viathans' accounts that I've so carefully maintained for the last several centuries. You can't be serious. With Karsho as its president and Ohado in charge of the military, we will use the capital we steal to create the most favorable trade agreements on Earth and provide the lowest cost loans to every developing country on the planet. And when they default, we'll own those two dominance through economic warfare. You're not just a thief. You're a monster, Sinclair. Sintimentality is such a liability in negotiation, but even more surprising in the Darkwater Agent. I knew you'd give us the code. I always knew. Enough! I'm going to enjoy killing you for that! No, don't. We may still need additional authorization codes for the Cook Island and Panama accounts. We need to get moving. Initiate why I challenge her to do by. Ohado, gather our things in the radio, the men. I want to know where this king's plane is. Yes, Captain. Listen up, all crew. This is Richland. What's this that I'm... I hate that I saved your life. Did you save it? Or did I always have a plan and just needed the codes that only a Darkwater Agent would have? You can't do this. Leviathan needs that money to rebuild. Rebuild what? Our society, our purpose. We have a role. I'm finished playing a role in someone else's play. There's no way you can actually believe you'll get away with this. They'll find you. You're mad. Mad? No, my dear. Mad is thinking that someone might still rescue you. You saw the city collapse. You saw how desperate everyone was to save themselves trampling over one another. Disgusting, my friend. You're what's disgusting, Sinclair. You've become nothing more than a fucking grave, Robert. I'm sorry, Serena, but I'm getting out. And I swear I'll use every single last dollar in every Leviathan account. Leviathan is a failed experiment. I'm afraid there'll be no more immortals quietly saving the world. Gensho, the air strip is blocked by fire. Damn it. Where are our men? Bread out of a Lohane. Most are trying to put out the fire at the beach. Shit. Then we'll go by sea. Have Hasan fuel up the boat. If we can't fly out, we'll run up the coast of Argan. We need to get to Dubai. We will. The sheer will try to stop you. Let him try and tell Hasan to get the prisoners ready to move. The prisoners? You mean Cecilia, Archibald, William, and... And your dear, dear Edward. What are you going to do with them? I plan to take them somewhere where they won't be found. Whatever you're planning, you won't win. You can run, but there are thousands of Leviathan citizens that made it out alive that will know exactly how to find you. Oh, I agree, Serena. In fact, I couldn't agree with you more. What do you mean? Because, my dear, it will make the life that I intend to create for myself so much easier if it is widely believed that I perished at sea. But to do that, all of you would have to perish at sea, which inconveniently you did not. But fortunately, Captain Cascio has assured me that arrangements can be made. Sinclair is right. He's a dangerous waters. You can't be serious. I'm going to disappear, Serena. And when your usefulness expires, so shall you. I'm not going anywhere. Accident, Epid. In since no one is looking for your ship, and you claim no country as your own, there'll be no one to find you. Someone is looking for us. I sent out a signal from the Zephyr. Did you have enough time to get the signal out? It's no matter. Captain Cascio, Ohado, and I, along with you and your immortal compatriots, will be far away from this paramilitary camp before it burns to the ground. We have rather important plans, you see. I have one question, Sinclair. Please? When you create this new nation, this larcenous state with Cascio and Ohado as the heads, what will your role be? My dear, I will honor my ancestors and serve as the shadow to the sovereign, the strategist to the throne. I am an Ellucinian, and I serve my master. For that he has earned my protection. You're just a fucking grave robber, Sinclair. Nothing more. On the contrary, I'm about to commit the largest theft in human history. And by the time anyone left from Leviathan discovers the theft of several trillion dollars, I'll be safely in a castle with an army to protect me and a government that does my bidding. Come on, it's time to go. If we're going to take the boats, we need supplies one way out at sea. We'll stop by the storage building to take food and equipment. Tell Hasan to bring another truck. Loser need more guns and explosives. You heard our new president. Time to go, Serena. Of the Regency Era. You might know it as the time when Bridgerton takes place, or as the time when Jane Austen wrote her books. The Regency Era was also an explosive time of social change, sex scandals, and maybe the worst king in British history. Vulgar History's new season is all about the Regency Era, the balls, the gowns, and all the scandal. Listen to Vulgar History, Regency Era, wherever you get podcasts. Oh please, not that music. That music gives me nightmares from my childhood. Could we get something a little bit lighter, some lighter music here? Are you a fan of true crime TV shows? And what about Unsolved Mysteries, the show that jump-started all of our love of true crime? I'm Ellen Marsh. And I'm Joey Taranto. And we host, I Think Not, a true crime comedy podcast covering some of the wildest stories from your favorite true crime campy TV shows all the way to Unsolved Mysteries. Baby, you will laugh, you will cry, you'll think about true crime in a whole new way, and you'll also ask yourself, who gave these people mics? New episodes of I Think Not are released every Wednesday with bonus episodes out every Thursday on Patreon. And every Monday you can listen to our True Crime Run Down, where we go over the top true crime headlines of the week. So come and join us wherever you listen to your podcasts. Back in the red sea. Enter the bridge and sat upon one of the command chairs. What the fuck? Who the hell do you think you are? You don't touch my equipment. That's my life down there, and I have everything organized and calibrated just the way- Hey, hey, it's okay, I get it. I get it, Yuki, but I just needed to move the PX out of the cargo hold. I placed it in the collection pod of the beluga while we were on the decadence. You put a radioactive device next to the sensors I rely on to stay alive underwater? Don't worry, I already took it out and your sensors should be fine. Should? Are you fucking kidding me? How do you know? Why the hell did you do that? Because the decadence can be a dangerous place with a lot of dangerous people. I didn't want to take the chance of anyone snooping around. Plus, we'd never be allowed through the Suez if it was detected. The beluga had depth shielding. It was the perfect hiding spot. It's the equipment that keeps me alive at 10,000 feet in the dark! The PX modules are in tungsten carbide containment pods. I said it's fine! Fine! Hey, hey, hey, hey, Yuki, back down. I'll have Oberlin do a full inspection before letting the beluga anywhere near water again. Full promise. I thought we were treasure hunters, not smugglers. We will be as soon as Sam gets off. But right now we're on the bridge and I need you to back down. Sam, is the PX off the beluga? Yeah, it's off and in cargo ready to offload. Hey, Yuki, why don't you go downstairs? I'll meet you in the sub bay when we get out of Jeddah. Yes, Captain. Don't touch my shit. Captain, we're about 20 minutes out from Jeddah. Should I start hailing the marina on comms? Yeah, thanks, Abby. Hale them and let's get our docking slip assigned. Sam, you said you were setting up transport from the cargo port, right? Yeah, that's right. Evetera has a specialized team in place to smuggle the PX out of Saudi Arabia. I'll give them the slip number to meet us. Let's get them on the horn. Abby? Yes, Captain. Jeddah Islamic port, this is Invenios. We are inbound on a 1-6-0 heading requesting guidance. Jeddah port, do you copy? This is Invenios. Uh, sir, I- Can you, uh, can you speak more slowly, please? Uh, Captain? I got nothing here. Yeah, um, I asked to speak to someone in English. I'll try. Um, I'm sorry, uh, this is Invenios. May I- May I speak to someone who speaks English? Um, I'm sorry, I- I don't understand. Um, Abloh, Esayol? Captain, is he Deutsch? I don't understand. Captain, is he Deutsch? Here, I got this. Port, on Invenios. We are in the plume of the city. We are in the city of Shahan Haqsa. We are on the F-Maliki, Rakhim 556939. We are on the Waha. Yes, of course, the King's position. We will move to the 99th gate on the east side. Turn, finish. Slip 99 on the East-Hawk. You certainly know how to talk to people. I'm going to clear all boat traffic to prioritize us in the Harbor Queue. It'll speed things up and I'll be on my way before you know it. Why do I feel like there's no town, port, or city in this hemisphere where someone doesn't owe you some sort of favor? I told you, I'm a fixer. I fix- I- I mean- Hey, listen, I'm sorry. I didn't mean- No, no, it's, um, it's fine. I'll, uh- I should go down below and start to get my things packed up. Yeah, I think that sounds like a good idea. Hey, Abby, when we get into port, can you and Gibson contact the Harbor Master to get fuel tabs going for the ship and all the tenders? We want to get filled up before we hit the Indian Ocean. Yes, Captain. Oh, and how long should I have us in dock for? Just enough time to stock up, fuel up, and ship out. We need to turn around as quick as we can if we want to enter the Gulf of Aden by Thursday. Wow, Captain, that's a lot. Djibouti is 800 miles south. We can't cover that much distance pushing the cyclone engines. Maybe by late Friday? No, no, I meant with the Trident Drive. We make up a lot of time with that kind of speed. The Trident Drive? Yeah, Abby, that's why we have it. The Highland Rose isn't gonna find itself. Well, we're supposed to check weather clearance before any route plan where the Trident Drive gets activated, and I, uh, just wasn't expecting such a hurry to- Yeah, we want to make sure we get a jump on the- A jump on what, Captain? A jump on the day. Aye, Captain. I'll get us ready. Huh. Tully turned and took the helm of the Inveneos, speeding past the Tropic of Cancer and headed further south, viewing closer to the shimmering Saudi Arabian coastline. As the deep azure of the Red Sea gave way to shallower water, the Jeddah Islamic port emerged from the horizon. First, it soaring perless in control tower. Then, soon after, the great skyline of Jeddah's powerful metropolis behind it. When the large ship-to-short cranes came into view, the Inveneos cut its engines and idled past several immense container ships before docking and tying up to cargo bay 99 at the furthest east end of the sprawling facility. A black, avatar transport truck swiftly pulled alongside the ship. Are we all tied off? Tied off here, Chief. The bow is the cure, sir. Good job, guys. Now, let's get power and water running before we refuel a diesel. With the crew diligently completing their assigned docking tasks, Tully left the bridge and went downstairs to the library. Oh, Jeddah. He stopped on the way to the bar to look out the large observation windows. What the hell am I doing in Jeddah? He turned and poured himself a small glass of tequila while watching three Evitera operatives exit the truck and crisply follow Samantha's instructions to load the PX into their transport. Moments later, Samantha stood in the library's entrance way. You know, you should be careful. Alcohol is illegal in Saudi Arabia. I thought we had diplomatic status as long as you're on board. Yeah. Well, I'm leaving, so... Oh, uh, yeah. Well, hey, I know Oberlin would love to say goodbye. He should be back just in a minute. And Abby and Gibson too. Not Yuki? No, probably not Yuki. Yeah, no. Actually, I, um... I have to go now. We're all loaded up and on a tight schedule. I'm trying to get us to Karachi by tomorrow morning. Well, um, I wouldn't bet against you. At this point, I'm pretty convinced that there's nothing you can't arrange or make happen, Samantha. I wish. You give me too much credit, Tully. But listen, I, um... I want to thank you. You and your crew rescued me on the Velascora, and, um, I pretty much forced you to come here and help me. Well, in fairness, we were the ones that got ourselves arrested. I blame Sheffi. I blame Yuki. Yeah, well, good luck, Sam. I hope that this Salonix machine you're trying to build with the PX... I really hope it all works out. For you and for all our sakes. Yeah. That's the idea. Well, so, I don't know if we'll run into each other again, but take care of yourself, Sam. Bye, Tully. Stay safe. And thanks again for your help. Thanks for trusting me. Oh, I never trusted you for a minute. Yeah. Well, that might have been your smartest decision since the Netherlands. I really don't blame you. Take care, and it was nice. Yeah, it was nice meeting you, too. Be careful of pirates out there. I will. Before you go, are you, um, forgetting something you might like to give me? Give you? Yeah, I mean, I thought that after... Oh, the wire transfer. Yes, shit, of course. I'm sorry, yeah, no, no, no, no. Let me just initiate the payment transfer over to you. You're right, Tully. I just... No, no, no. I felt bad. I didn't know if... I didn't know how to ask, and since we're not going to see each other. I'm taking care of it now. It'll just take a second. Here, I'm logging into our accounts. Oh, Tully, if you give me your account and ABA numbers, I can... No, under the captain wanted to fill up on the... I've got a call. Hold on. Hello? This is Sam. I think you said 250,000. What? Hello? Nariss, I... I can't hear you. You know, if it's too much trouble, you can just come and check. That's a bad signal. Nariss, what do you mean the extraction team is held up? They're here. What threat? Nariss, can you hear me? Nariss... I mean, of course I'd like it to be a certified check. Nariss, what do you mean 10 minutes? The team is already here. The PX is loaded. The team is... Come on. Shit. He had a tattoo. So what? It's just that... that is the second time I've seen a girl with that tattoo. The same one... Wait, Gibson, what did you say? Something about a tattoo? Um, yeah. One of your Evaterra people unloading by the docks. The woman. The one with the baseball cap. Evaterra field teams can't have identifiable marks or tattoos. She's the second woman I've seen with this weird purple flower tattoo. I was asking Abby if it was... Stop, Gibson! You said second. Where did you see the first one? I... The first girl. You said she had a tattoo on her neck also. Where did you see her? On the decadess. I think her name was Dahlia. The decadess? Fuck! Federov sold us out. Samantha shot to the library window just in time to see a woman in a black baseball cap open the truck door. Fuck! We've been had. They're stealing the PX. What? Who's they? It doesn't matter. Quick. We need to go after them. What do you have for wheels? We've got the defender in the ship's carport. Okay, I need it. Now! Abby, open the cargo hold and lower the loading ramp. I'm getting the keys and taking it out. I'll help you with the strap. Okay, I'll meet you on the dock. Go! The world of Sonic the Hedgehog has been thrust into a not-so-dark, not-so-stormy, hard-boiled detective story that probably nobody saw coming. Follow Sonic and the Intrepid Chaotix Detective Agency as they take on their biggest case yet. This high-flying, action-packed adventure will take them across the world fighting for every clue they can find. It's one heck of a tale, which is good because this story might be the only thing that can save their lives. Well, if that's all I can just dispose of you. Wait, what? All will be revealed in Sonic the Hedgehog presents the Chaotix Case Files. Listen now, wherever you get your podcasts. You're now listening to the trailer for Redacted, a brand new horror comedy. Today, we're playing a simple game of Call My Blood. Okay, you've been uncharacteristically quiet. What do you think? Is that one of the victims? What do you mean, Reyes? No, cut it out, Jacob. Why are you pretending to be Jordan? Redacted is a brand new monster of the week horror comedy about Jacob Cain, a failing actor who assumes his late brother's life and finds himself in the Redacted unit, a covert agency tasked with containing impossible creatures and phenomena known as aberrations. Inspired by late 90s and early 2000s television, featuring incredible guest writers from the world of podcasting, film, and games, welcome to the Redacted unit. Redacted airs Fridays, 9-8 central. Search Redacted on the podcast player of your choice, or visit the redactedunit.com for more info. Hush. I can take some guesses. Right. How'd they manage to pull it off? They somehow blocked our team, the real team at the front gate. They knew we'd be here. They knew it would look like avatarra people. Can I ask you something? What? If someone's not using the PX to build fresh water plants, what else might they use it for? Well, you could build the kind of bombs that end species. Remember what I said about trouble finding you? You know, you don't need to do this. I can let you out. I'm in it with you. Oh, the thought of world hunger finally gave you a conscience. That, and I don't want you to fuck up my truck, and you never finish the wire on the money you owe us. You're a real peach, Tully. Yeah, so I've been told. Samantha mashed the accelerator, launching the defender forward to game ground on a truck that had turned left behind a tightly stacked row of shipping containers. Shit, we're gonna lose them. Gibson, do I have you on radio? Yes, Captain. I need eyes in the air. Right now, or we're gonna lose the PX. Captain, the hummingbird got buried about a decade. I could launch a sea hawk. From a rail gun while docked in a Middle Eastern country? Are you out of your mind? Yeah. Forget that. What about the sand slide? No good, Captain. Ranges less than a mile. Shit. Tully, there she is. I can't see her with all these shipping containers. There's thousands of them. Yeah, well, Judd is a huge port. It's like a maze. There she is. Go right. Shit, she's trying to find an exit out of the port. We'll lose her if she gets on the highway. You got a plan to stop her? Yeah, I need you to get outside. What? I'm your plan? Yeah, the plan sucks, but Zoda's losing the PX. So get outside. Now, Tully. What do you mean, get outside? I'll get us alongside her. Then I need you to jump under her truck and stop her. Oh, that sounds easy. Want to walk me through that? I'll come in from behind. You stay low and jump on the rear fender and try to get onto the passenger side. I'll keep her distracted on the driver's side. Then what? Then figure it out, Tully. The fling truck careened around a stack of shipping containers, but Samantha held close. That's an active loading zone ahead. We're not losing her. Look out for that loading crate. We're going to have company soon. They're sounding the security alarm at the port. Hurry. Get ready to jump. Tully opened the door of the defender and stepped onto the side rails. She's weaving back and forth. I'm trying to get in closer. Ready? She's trying to shake us. Now, Tully. Damn it. Tully leapt from the defender onto the back of the livery truck, holding on tightly to the rear grab rail, but his feet quickly lost grip. Tully pulled himself up and started to inch right along the back of the truck to make his way over to the passenger side. Tully, Tully, what's your position? I'm trying not to get scraped off the side of this truck. Tully, you're not going to believe this. You're not going to believe what I just heard. What? What is it? Overland. Overland. Come back. Overland, do you copy? Come again. I can't hear you. There's a lot of them. There's a lot of them here. Overland, where are you? Can you hear me? Damn it. It must be the P.S. Tully, let's go. Overland? Say again? Yes, sir. Overland, wait for me. Help us out of the way. Overland. Overland. Damn it. Tully looked over his shoulder and could see Samantha and the defender, giving him the signal to neutralize the driver. Huh? You mean killer? What? Are you crazy? Okay, Tully. Keep telling yourself this is worth the 250. Tully crouched down and stepped onto the running boards of the speeding truck. He lay low, inching along the passenger side, hoping the driver wouldn't see him. Get closer. He reached out for the door handle to enter the truck cabin when... Sorry, I'm not taking any passengers. Shit. Damn it. Whoa! Tully held onto the passenger door as it swung outward, leaving him dangling and struggling not to fall under the wheels of the truck. Overland, where are you? Tully, help us. Help us. It's not me. It's Samantha. What? Overland? This isn't your treasure to find, Captain Tully. This is where you get off. Oh, shit. Dali veered her truck toward a pallet of shipping containers, clipping the right side and ripping the passenger door clean off the hinges of the truck, narrowly missing Tully. Where are you, Overland? He's almost there. Just hang on. I am hanging on. Lady, you better pull this truck over right now. Goodbye, Captain Tully. Oh, no! You might want to check your blind spot. Samantha smashed the defender into Daliya's left side. Together, Tully! Shit! Samantha, kill. Daliya yanked the wheel left, forcing her truck into the defender. Goddamn it! Pushing Samantha just skid towards the loading pit. Shit! The fork left! Samantha! One down. And you're next. Pull it over, you fucking... Tully fired his fist across Daliya's jaw. The taste of blood filled her mouth and she instinctively jammed the brakes. Ow! Forcing Tully's head into the dashboard. Her hand shot to her hips, reaching for the pistol, but Tully's hand was already there. Give me it! You can't know! The fucking truck! Let go of me! Tully and Daliya gripped the pistol and fought to gain control of the firearm. Tully forced Daliya's arm upwards and squeezed her trigger finger repeatedly, emptying the clip into the ceiling. He lunged to grab the wheel of the truck when suddenly... Oh! ...he brought her mouth down on his neck and bit hard. What the fuck? Let go! You'll crash us! Ah! Captain, this is Gibson. What's your status? Oh, I don't know, Gibson. I think I would call my status tenuous. Captain! This doesn't belong to you! Well, Dori's health doesn't belong to you! Get the hell off my truck! Daliya pulled her leg off the accelerator, kicking Tully hard in the sternum. Oh, damn it! He grabbed the handrail of the truck to keep himself from falling out of the open door. Gibson, now would be a good time! My hand! Daliya slammed the gun of her pistol repeatedly on Tully's hand, trying to break his grip. From the corner of his eye, Tully saw a white motorcycle accelerating towards the truck. Gibson, is that you or the motorcycle? Negative, Captain. Abbey's eye is still back on the infidels. Where's Oberlin? You want to find him? Oberlin? The motorcycle was pulled alongside the livery truck and raised a long, bleeding, black firearm and aimed at the truck's tires. Oberlin, I knew you had a gun! As the tire rubber blew off the wheels, sparks flew upwards towards Tully. He looked down and saw two darts embedded in what was left of the tires. The truck swerved violently to the right, sending Daliya's head crashing into the sidelines, cutting open her eye. Oh, shit! I can't control it! The truck fishtailed back and forth, losing control as it headed directly for a stack of shipping containers at the far end of the port. Shit, we're gonna crash! Steel crates stacked 10 to 20 tall, tumbled from their arranged perches as the truck pinballed left and right. Daliya fought to control the steering wheel as Tully lost his grip and tumbled down to the ground. Oh, Jesus. The truck flipped on its right side and skidded along the ground for 50 feet in a tangle of rigging ropes, loading cables and steel. Fuck, PX! The mashed rear gate of the truck fell open and Tully could see the PX canister still securely strapped down. Tully painfully ran over to where the truck had come to a stop. My foot! He raced to unhook the latches that held the tungsten canister in place. Oberlin, do you read me? Where are you? Your shot worked! The truck is down! We gotta get this canister out of here quick! This crazy chick might have friends on the way! Oberlin, where'd you go? Actually, I do have friends and you wouldn't want to meet them. Daliya limped from behind the truck holding her loaded pistol at Tully's head. Look, please, I don't know who you are, but we need this. Whatever this thing is, it can bring a lot of good to the world. Please! You're such a fool. You don't even know what this really is, do you? I know it's not yours and from the way you drive, my sense is you don't care a lot about saving the world. It's not even from this planet. Hey, don't even get me started. I have had enough extraterrestrial encounters for one lifetime. Too bad you never learned who Samantha Kell really is. From behind Daliya, Samantha rush forward, knocking the pistol to the ground. Look, you, you, you, you don't even know that you're being mine too! You lost my partner, I'm not losing the BX! Daliya fired her left foot into Samantha's batalla, causing her to buckle, giving her an instant of opportunity. Daliya brought the heel of her palm and Samantha's eye socket and left to snatch the pistol off the ground. Oberlin, Gibson, Abbey, somebody, damn it! Samantha! Daliya spun around and brought her pistol to Samantha's chin before calling out to Tully. I'll kill her. No, don't. Step away from the BX. Don't hurt her. That's a pretty tall ass. Please. I'm serious! I'll drop her so hard, I mean it! Okay. Get back! Okay, I'm stepping back. How do I know you'll keep your word? You don't. Shit, that almost hit my ear. Look, I get the message. Daliya brought her lips close to Samantha's ear. Get down on your knees. What? Neil. Fuck you. Neil! Open the red cell phone in her pocket and push the single round button on the inside. What's that? I have the PX and Samantha Kel secured, but I need an extraction. Fast. The port alarm has sounded. Excellent work. I'll handle the alarm. You just give a bit of her. We'll have people to take you out in 103 minutes. Don't lose the PX. Valor out. He'll reward me well for killing you. Your dying was a bonus for the entire operation, Samantha. A little extra on top of the PX. Hey, hey! You said you wouldn't shoot her. How do you know who I am? We know all about you, Samantha. And we know that Evertera is telling you a lie. And we'll prove it when I take the PX back to where it belongs. Too bad you'll never get that chance. Three long darts hit Daliya's body. She stood, shocked, looking down at the foreign intrusions in her chest before collapsing. To the ground. What the hell? Hey, those are the same darts that hit the tires. Oberlin? Samantha rose to her feet, but not before discreetly pocketing the red cell phone. Step away from the truck. Now. Wait, you're not Oberlin. I know that voice. Both Tully and Samantha looked up to see the motorcycle list before them holding a black dart gun and still wearing a tinted helmet. Who the hell are you? The motorcycle rider removed her helmet to reveal a shock of red hair. Hello, Tully. Tully? Who the hell is this? This is McCallan. McCallan Orsell. It was kind of a little bit of a left field choice in the best way possible. The note from Kripke was, he's great. We love him, but we're looking for like a really intelligent Dukovny type. With 15 seasons to explore, it's going to be the road trip of several lifetimes. So please join us and subscribe to Supernatural then and now. The Paranormal Mysteries of Liminal London and the Cyberpunk Chaos of Cyborg. Be awed by our incredible guests from familiar shows like Ox Venture and No Rolls Bard. Search realms of peril and glory to find out more. You win. We had a deal, Tully. Look, I don't know how to. I held up my end of the bargain. I got you through Suez. Only after you wagered my shift. This is bullshit and you know it. The PX belongs to me. We were the ones who found it. You can't just give it to this fucking person. Well, we didn't have much choice, did we? If it wasn't for McCallan, we'd both be dead. And I did everything I could to help you and really stuck my neck out and almost got shot trying to get it back. So don't say I wasn't doing my end. Do you understand what I've lost trying to obtain that canister? Do you know how important it is? What was sacrificed? Do you have any idea? Yes, of course I do. Do you? Do you comprehend the ecological cliff our planet is heading for in mere decades? Of course I do, but I didn't have a choice. And by the way, neither did you. We have to get it back. It's the only way. Look, you can find out where she took it, yeah? Yeah, Tully, come on. I need answers. I need a lead to get it back. I can find it. Where would she take it, Tully? Uh, no. No, no. Listen, I can't. I'm not going- Where is McCallan taking the PX? I don't know. Then you damn well better find out! You said you two go back. We do go back. Then she'll tell you if you ask her. Oh, I'll tell you right now. The PX is on a private air charter at 45,000 feet, just about to enter Yemeni airspace. What the fuck? I'm having it shipped out of the country to a safe location. Where? Get it back here now! I'm not doing that. You don't know me, but one phone call to the Saudi family and I can have the plane brought down in minutes. Oh, I do know you. And I know all about Evetera and who's behind it. And if you were thinking you could get F-15s fired out of King Khalid Airpace in Hamid Mousheit, I remind you that Yemen still has MiG-29s that we could launch from Sanaa airfield that would intercept any fighters before you even think about crossing into sovereign airspace. You're not the only one who can pull strings. Those MiGs haven't been maintained in years. And your plane is nothing that an AIM-120 Sidewinder flying at Mach 4 couldn't find before your pilots even get one look at the Arabian Sea. Borders won't hide you, McCallan. But then you'd be destroying the very thing you were fighting for. Blowing up a plane won't get you anywhere and there'd be a lot of explaining to do. No, no, I think the PX is safer in the air with us. That plane is gonna land somewhere and I promise I will hunt you down in any city, in any country, in the world. The PX belongs to- You couldn't imagine who the PX really belongs to. It belongs to us! I had a deal with Tully. Tell her, tell her! Look- Tully, who do you think Evaterra is? Tully cast a long look at Samantha who was glaring at him intensely. Look, I'll admit I don't know a lot. Most of what I've learned has come from Samantha. But I understand that they're an environmental advocacy group that are actively trying to prevent an environmental collapse that seems to be accelerating. They're eco-terrorists. Tully, they're anarchists. That's not true! They fund groups that blow up power plants, assassinate executives and rig elections in countries so that- Shut up! You have no idea what you're talking about or what we- If you could see all the bloodshed on their hands, you'd be astonished. They are not some kind of earnest environmentalist group. Their special ops team have killed hundreds, maybe thousands in their righteous quest. You don't know who we are or what we know. I know that the Evaterra mission in Jave de Vare was a bloodbath. There is a larger cause at play and I don't have the luxury of your ignorance. Oh, Tully, ask her how many loggers died when her group destroyed a dam in the Amazon. You weren't there! Ask her. We had to! Over 60 workers who were getting paid dollars a day. So don't lecture me about saving the world because you're sure as hell not saving people. And what about the Qimari and the thousands of other indigenous people that had to watch their water, their land, their children become polluted and infected? Look, Samantha. Oh, so that's it, huh? Tully, your friend shows up and all of a sudden you're on her side? You flip that quick? Awful fucking convenient. Look, Samantha, it's not a question of sides. We all have to pick a side! Did you sell me out, Tully? Is she paying you? No. Did you sell me out? No! He didn't! We already got word that another group was trying to steal it. And who the fuck is we? A group of people who know how to extract the full value of the PX. That's funny because I'm trying to use it to save millions. I'm using it for billions and neither of us gets a medal. I don't care about medals. The Earth's environment is running out of time faster than you can understand. I'm also running out of time and you are not the only one trying to save the planet. I need it! So do we. We had a deal, Tully. Please. I'm... I'm sorry. Fuck you both. Samantha Kell slammed the door to the library in anger and turned to march down the central corridor, but then stopped and pressed her ear against the gap to listen to Tully and McCallon finish their conversation. Alright, McCallon Orsel. Let's see what game you're playing. But, Tully, we have reason to believe the PX is not of Earth-bound origin. I think you understand what that means. Uh, yeah. Christ, Nerus was right about Roswell. It's for the body. It's for hope. Leviathan? Hope? What the hell are they talking about? That might have been the end of the line for Sam and me. Thanks, McCallon. I, uh, I think I owe you for saving my neck. Hey, you saved me back in the Arctic. I didn't say where you've been. I still can't believe you weren't able to stop the first missile. Missiles? The Arctic? Shit. They're talking about the incident. What do they know? Did you see what she did? She fucking baptized him. Oh, Christ, Tully. I think I saw some intercept at the meeting. Damn it. Samantha dropped her head and turned away from the library. She quietly walked down the main corridor, passing the crew cabins, the Met Bay, and the mess hall. Huh. Everyone's in their cabins. She was about to descend to the cargo hole to retrieve her bags. Hmm. But instead, climbed the central staircase to go upwards. The aerial drone bay. Yes. Okay, now where's Gibson's flight helmet? There. Okay. All right. What have we got? Looks like it's based on helmet-mounted queuing system architecture. Let's bring up the HUD menu. Select aircraft. There's the Seahawk. Too big. Hummerbird. Got destroyed. Ah. There. The sand fly. Inside the Inveneos flight deck, a small insectoid drone swiftly fluttered its half-inch nylon wings and rose off its charging perch. And liftoffed. Under Samantha's control, the tiny metal bug flew forward through the doorway to exit the flight deck. The sand fly buzzed quietly back down the ship's central corridor. Damn it. Found you, sneaky little hydraulic leak. Time for some Teflon love. Six. And two. I double you. Resign. Fucking hell. What the hell? The plan of how to move the merry-go-round. I just miss you. There wasn't going to be another mission. At the far end, Samantha piloted the miniscule drone underneath the library door and set it down discreetly on top of the bookshelves, where she had a clear audio and visual feed on McCallan and Tully. Oh, Tully. What the hell are you doing mixed up with Evitera and the PX? Okay. So, help me out. In English, McCallan, what is the PX? Look, I meant what I said before. It is not of Earthbound origin. Astrid has gone through the data archives we salvaged from Leviathan, and she believes it was conceived and formulated as a fuel source. Fuel for what? For the spacecraft that brought the Cyraxians to Earth. So, if the PX is literally rocket fuel, where the hell was the rocket? We don't know. We are trying to find it. What's this? These are the geographical surveys containing possible locations and coordinates that we've identified. Wow. We'll see this map. We've got a lot of waypoints here. McCallan, this is a little bit of a problem. I wish I could see it from a better angle. I don't get it. Isn't it just one ship? One ship, but multiple locations. Multiple locations? We've seen the ground that moved from its original crash site. It moved a lot, I'd say. By whom? Dunno. Maybe different parties? It's been on Earth for a very long time, so it might be hard to know. What are these markings? Wherever the ship goes, it leaves a signature radiation. It's just hard to know if it's where the ship is or was. So, how do you know? We're trying to narrow it down. The problem is, it seems we are not the only people looking for it. What do you mean? Who else is looking? Maybe people who say they're obsessed with saving the world are hypocrites. I mean, whoever finds that ship will have access to technology that doesn't exist anywhere else on Earth. And you don't like the idea of anyone having that power except you? We've both seen what's out there. Look, maybe Samantha was right. Maybe we are heading for some sort of global environmental collapse. Of course we are. I don't know if you've been seeing the news, but things aren't exactly getting better. Maybe Yveterra really could use the PX to save the world right now. This Tully gets it. Saving the world means keeping the Leviathan survivors alive. Forgive me if that sounds a bit self-serving. I'm being literal. How so? Because they're dangerous Tully. Each person that survived the collapse of Leviathan, these are people with fortunes and and bank accounts older than the United States. They have lived full lives, Tully, and that means they have nothing left to lose. In the best case, we're talking about unleashing thousands of billionaires that will destroy billions and shatter global politics. Now, I have to say, I have to say, I have to say, about unleashing thousands of billionaires that will destroy billionaires and shatter global politics. Like a drinking water will shatter global politics. and resources by other groups. I need to find a way to protect them. What way to do? I'm going to start with the PX, right? I think I can use it to save the survivors that made it out of Leviathan. Maybe I can replicate what the Seraxians did to Evangelion. Seraxians? Leviathan? Leviathan? Does Naira know what any of this means? We're working on a relocation plan. Most. What about the rest? We lost some of the implosion. Implosion? We've been trying to track all the lost Zephyrs. Some want to go their own way on the surface now, but... What does she mean? The surface? I think I can design a way to... What's that? It's my pit cough. That's Talonidae. It's encrypted. Encrypted? What's it say? It's dark water. Ah, fuck you, Tully. At the other end of the Inveneos, Samantha Kell removed the flight helmet guiding the sand fly once she had safely piloted the drone back to its charging bar. I'll never get the highland rose. Should have kept up your end. Samantha removed her cell phone from her backpack and dialed the number that she and she alone possessed. Naira, I'm in Jeddah and I don't have much time. I need you to grant me remote access to Mira. Affirmative. One second. OK, I'm logged in. I need her to interface with the central CPU on the Inveneos. Yes. That's right. Here's what I needed to do. You have been listening to the Inveneos Expeditions, a Leviathan Chronicle story written and created by Christoph LePutka. To view the blueprints of the Inveneos, go to inviniosexpeditions.com slash blueprints. The Inveneos Expeditions is made possible by the generous support of our listeners. To listen, add free and get exclusive bonus content and behind the scenes footage, become a subscriber at patreon.com slash Leviathan Chronicles. The Inveneos Expeditions was executive produced by Amish Jani, produced by Robin Shore, original music by Luke Allen, editing by Luke Allen and Robin Shore, sound design by Jonathan Stevens and Robin Shore, casting and production by Claire Dodin, directed by Christoph LePutka, starring Matt Shale as Captain Jeffrey Tully, John Patrick Higgins as Oberlin St. Clair, Laura Post as Abigail Evinton, Justice Slocum as Gibson Donahue, Stephanie Wong as Yuki Yamamoto, Lindsay Rousseau as Samantha Kelp, Norman Bradley as Captain Federoff, Maya Harlap as Dahlia, K. Bo Foster as Narae Saffield, Kim Donovan as McCallan Orsall, Amato Dappolito as Sheffy, Brittany Cox as Serena Narobi, Georgina Elizabeth Ocon as Ahado, Lex Damon as Sunny Kashiw, Time Winters as Sinclair Rousseau, Sophia Mahmoud as Hassan, and Melissa Medina as The Narrator. Additional voices by Aimen Saman and Brent Mukai. For a full cast list and to learn more about our other audio productions, go to leviathanaudioproductions.com or follow us on social media. Thank you for supporting Leviathan Audio and thank you for listening. Leviathan Audio Production. Legendary stories, awe-inspiring sound, and endless adventure. Welcome to the realms of peril and glory. Explore the mechanically magical vistas of Vale, the paranormal mysteries of liminal London, and the cyberpunk chaos of Cyborg. Fall in love with our core cast, or be awed by our incredible guests from familiar shows like Ox Venture, Three Black Halflings, and No Rolls Bard. Ignite your imagination and discover the realms of peril and glory today. Go to realmspod.com or search realms of peril and glory wherever you listen to podcasts. One, two, three. The war is over and both sides lost. Kingdoms were reduced to cinders and armies scattered like bones in the dust. Now the survivors claw to what's left of a broken world. Praying the darkness chooses someone else tonight. But in the shadow dark, the darkness always wins. This is old school adventuring and it's most cruel. Your torch ticks down in real time, and when that flame dies, something else rises to finish the job. This is a brutal rules light nightmare with a story that emerges organically based on the decisions that the characters make. This is what it felt like to play RPGs in the 80s, and man, it is so good to be back. Join the Glass Cannon podcast as we plunge into the shadow dark. Every Thursday night at 8 p.m. Eastern on youtube.com slash the glass cannon with the podcast version dropping the next day. See what everybody's talking about and join us in the dark. There are vampires out there. They walk among you shoulder to shoulder in the dark, heading to work, heading home, going to the bar. It's a life just like anyone else's and I have grown used to it, to the darkness, to the moon, to the taste of blood on my tongue. But vampires are dying out. We are a fading kind and I am the first one created in so long and that is a dangerous thing to be. Those who came before me, elders of all stripes, they do not want to see our kind gone and they will do anything to keep their power. And for myself and for Grace who created me, that is a sword that hangs above our heads. And the worst person of all carries our secret and he will use it however he sees fit. Who do you look to when things are at their darkest? From the creators of Park del Haunt comes Woodbine, a podcast about monsters, dreams and changes, those you want and those you never saw coming. Season two arrives September 24th, distributed by Realm.