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mom safe until I do, though, all right?” Lance tousled the boy’s hair and left before there was another distraction to cloud his focus. Outside, the sky had finally darkened, but the bombardment from the Chinese fleet provided a lightning show both in the bay and on land. The Chinese were closing the gap.
    Canice already had his horse ready, and Lance winced slightly when he pulled himself into the saddle. “Have they figured anything out yet?” He spurred his horse, and the two galloped through the empty streets of Sydney. Everyone had either fled, barred themselves in their homes, or were on the front lines, keeping the wolves at bay.
    “Not yet,” Canice answered, keeping with Lance’s pace. “The Chinese are using some type of code. All we’re translating is garbled nonsense.”
    They crested a hill that overlooked the bay, and Lance pulled up his reins. Lines of gunpowder and smoke curled out of the side of the ships like the long, bony fingers of death, slowly inching closer to claim their souls. Lanterns dotted the galleys in the black ocean waters, the thousands of candlelights offered its competition to the stars above. “Any word or sightings from the scouts sent to retrieve the rest of the Aussie Navy?” The dozen ships that were left to plug the port’s entrance looked half sunk.
    “Not yet.”
    Lance gritted his teeth, squeezing the reins tight enough to crumble the leather in his fingers. “Where are the engineers now?”
    “The town hall.”
    Lance spurred his mount, the beast’s hooves clapping against the dirt with thunderous applause, Canice chasing after him. He pushed the animal dangerously fast through the narrow streets and skinny alleyways. Mud flung from the horse’s shoes, and it puffed breathlessly in the hurried gallop that Lance leaned into.
    Lance pulled the reins, and the horse skidded to a stop just outside the town hall steps, nearly crashing through the front door. By the time Canice caught up with him, he was already taking his first steps inside.
    Six men huddled around the dismantled radio spread out on a table. Copper, iron, wood, and wires were all strewn about in the manner of a coroner dissecting a dead body. The mumble of Chinese dialect crackled through the speakers. “Lance?” Danny asked, stepping away from the others. “What are you doing here?”
    “We need to know where the Chinese are headed and how many are coming.” The ride over had found Lance short of breath. He jammed his finger into the chest of a short, skinny man, his long nose just as pointy as the angles of his shoulders. “If you don’t figure it out, we’re going to die.”
    “W-we’re going as fast as we can, but frankly we’ve never seen anything like this before. I-I mean we’ve seen pictures in old books, but never the real thing.”
    “Lance,” Danny cut in, stepping in front of the rambling engineer before either Lance hit him or the engineer peed himself. “We’re in over our heads. These guys won’t be able to decode what the Chinese are saying, not in the time frame we need them to.”
    “So that’s it?” Canice asked, stepping inside. “Why bother even trying to fight? Huh? Why risk everything we have if we’re just going to die!” She flipped a chair over, and it smacked to the floor. She gripped one of the engineers by the collar and pinned him against the wall. “You listen to me, you sniveling shit. I’ve had just about enough of my crew die here trying to help you, so you get on that fucking radio and find out where the Chinese are going and when they’re getting there!”
    “Canice, enough!” Once Lance barked his orders, she let the engineer go, and he scurried back to the others, seeking safety in numbers. “The Chinese are out there right now, mounting an offensive to take the city. They know they’ve worn us thin. When they decide to push through, this city will no longer be under Australian control.”
    Boots shuffled, and two wheezing soldiers