by Jan Domagala
“Lieutenant William Severs, sir,” replied the young man, his voice firm and steady.
“Okay Lieutenant, the continuation of Col Sec could hinge on your efforts here today and I know this is not what you and your people signed on for but you know what is needed here,” Sinclair said, trying to impart the seriousness of the situation to him and what was at stake here.
“Sir, I’m Recon Delta, as was my father and his father, six generations in fact, so I won’t let you down, sir,” Severs said firmly, adding proudly, “and neither will my people, sir.”
His voice almost catching, Sinclair said, “Good luck then.”
“You too, sir. We’ll keep this link open for as long as possible and as secure as we can, for now Ops Centre out.”
“How long before the Justice and Legend get here?” De Boer asked.
“Three minutes and counting,” Sinclair replied after glancing at the chronometer on his wrist.
“Not before the hostiles reach Ops Centre. Let’s hope Severs can hold out otherwise our communications will go out and so will our sensors. We won’t know where the hostiles are, what’s happening topside or be able to call for reinforcements when they get here, we’ll be deaf, dumb and blind,” Hawk said to hammer home the situation.
“Is it too late to ask for a transfer to another unit Colonel?” asked the first marine.
“Life in Recon Delta is more than a job marine, it’s an adventure, I thought you knew that,” De Boer replied with a half smile. He knew what these guys were like and he knew he could count on them. After serving with them for the past five years they were more than just his team, his men, they were family. They might bitch about it from time to time but he could count on them to get the job done.
“Hell, yeah, sir,” both marines replied in unison to which the six new additions nodded their heads in agreement, smiling along with their two brothers in arms.
“If they’re after a specific target then once they’ve reached it and completed their objective they’ll bug out, sir. On the other hand, if this is a cleaning exercise then we’re all in danger,” Hawk said, leaning in closer to Sinclair so the tec guys and Tanya wouldn’t hear.
“Which do you think it is, Matt?” Sinclair asked in the same fashion.
“Going by the systematic way they’ve destroyed everything so far I’d have to say the second option, sir. I think they’re under orders not to leave anyone alive. They want to cripple Col Sec, sir,” Hawk replied grimly.
Sinclair nodded his head in agreement then contacted Lieutenant Severs at Ops Centre once more. “Contact the Justice and Legend and inform them of the situation. Tell them to send reinforcements down here the second they jump from hyperspace. Also contact any other craft en route here and tell them if they don’t arrive in five minutes or under there’ll be nothing to defend,” he said.
“Aye, sir, the ‘mayday’ has been transmitting since we were under attack and I’ve been in contact with both the Legend and Justice supplying them with constant updates also,” replied Severs competently.
“Good work, Lieutenant,” complimented Sinclair.
De Boer stepped forward to speak. Whilst Sinclair had been talking to Hawk and Ops Centre he had been in conversation via his NI. “Sir I’ve been in contact with General Courtney of Bravo Company at Fort Bragg. He’s sending reinforcements as we speak. A flight of F260s will be here in minutes followed by troop carriers, that’s the best they can do at short notice for a rapid response.”
“It’ll do for a start and might actually help if we can hold on long enough,” Sinclair said. “Good work, Colonel.”
“Sir, we’re going to have to move, we don’t want to get trapped down here,” Hawk said. He turned to Purvis and asked, “What weapons have you got down here, Major?”
“Just the usual side arms, nothing more than a few Sigs I’m afraid,” replied the head of Tec Division.
“The test range isn’t far from here and only one floor up, so if we hurry we could get there before any of the hostiles reach the lower levels. We need as many weapons as we can get hold of if we want at least a chance of getting out of this alive,” suggested Hawk.
“Okay, listen up people, we’re moving out now. Leave everything that’s not absolutely essential. Have no illusions people, this is going to be dangerous. We’re going up against an enemy determined to wipe us out so you must do whatever we say, when we say it. There will be no arguments, questions or discussions. If you want to survive then your lives are in these gentlemen’s experienced and very capable hands. Okay, enough talk, Matt and Colonel De Boer, over to you,” Sinclair said.
Hawk looked at the Colonel and said, “Okay I’ll take point with you two,” pointing at the two marines who’d been part of their original team, then continued, “followed by you Colonel with three of the new recruits, then the General, Tanya, Major Purvis and his team with the final three marines protecting the rear. Hopefully we should be able to protect them and get past the hostiles.”
“Which route do you intend to use, Matt?” asked Sinclair, confident in the abilities of his men.
“Once we reach the test range and arm ourselves better we can take the nearest exit tunnel. Whichever we choose we’ll meet opposition and have to fight our way past, it goes without saying. I can’t see us being able to navigate around them and seeing as they have the same tec as us they’ll probably try to tap into our com. chatter via their NIs, so we could use that knowledge to our advantage and keep our real com. chatter private using the new com. bugs.”
“Sounds like a plan,” agreed De Boer.
“I concur,” added Sinclair who continued by saying, “Okay people the quicker we get going the sooner we can reach safety. Let’s go!”
The marines checked the battery clips in their Sig P996s then they turned to Hawk, who it seemed had been delegated commander of this deadly situation, trusted to lead them all to safety.
“You heard the man, let’s go,” he said.
20
Tanis Rygar marshalled the squad of Rover5s under his command at the ruins of the Confederation Headquarters. Visibility was down to a hundred feet or so due to the dust- saturated air from the destruction of the massive building. Holding up a small palm pad he accessed the Nemesis’ sensors via his NI and had the results displayed on the pad’s screen. The scans showed all fifteen emergency exit tunnels and, holding up his hand to gain the attention of his squad, Rygar said, “Split up into teams, one to each of the fifteen exit tunnels. Go down and clear each level as you come to it. I want Sinclair and Tanya Wilde alive, to be taken back to the Nemesis with us. Is that clear?” When he received affirmatives from everyone he added, “Okay people, you have your orders, carry them out.”
The Rover5 who had been assigned to Rygar when they attacked Hawk and his team in the shuttle on Cordoba, stepped up to him and said, “Wouldn’t it be better to set charges at the entrances to all but one of the tunnels, blow and block them then all of us can go down the last tunnel? They’ll be trapped down there and we can just go in and kill them all.”
Rygar looked at him thoughtfully, glanced at some of the other Rover5s, then asked, “Are you the one who was with us on Cordoba because I can’t tell you apart from the rest of them? Do you have a name?”
“I am simply a Rover5.”
“No, that won’t do, won’t do at all. From now on you’re Adam, okay? Yeah, you’re Adam. I don’t know what the rest of your brothers’ names are just yet, but you’re Adam and no, it wouldn’t be better to dam all the entrances up. All it would do is create work. Wilde wants us to kill everyone we come across. It’s much easier to sweep each floor as we go and each tunnel to each floor. If we block the entrance from up here they could hide in the blocked tunnels and we’d have to clear each floor then go back up the tunnel for stragglers; more work. No, we sweep as we go, is that clear Adam?”
“But…”
“No ‘buts’, do your job. I’m in command, so follow your orders,” snapped R
ygar angrily, he hated having his authority questioned. He’d had problems like that when he was in the Elysium Alliance as a Black Knight, but since leaving and working for himself, then OMEGA, that problem hadn’t arisen. His men knew better than to question him and these Rover5s would just have to learn the same lesson.
Adam looked hard at Rygar with the cold opaline eyes that they all had, giving away nothing. He was about to say something when Rygar drew his Sig P996 and shot him right between the eyes. Adam’s head was blown apart by the full power, pulsed plasma bolt at close range in a mist of blood and shredded brain matter.
“I said no ‘buts’ didn’t I?” Rygar said coldly. Turning slowly to look at the other clones gathered around he asked, “Anyone else with any questions, suggestions, anything?”
The clones all stared at him impassively, silently and Rygar holstered his Sig and said, “Thought not, now let’s go, we’ve got a job to do.” As they began to move off he added, “What a waste of a good name, now I can’t tell any of the bastards apart.”
* * * * *
Hawk led the small group up to the next level as fast as he could, spurred on by the knowledge that if they didn’t reach the test range and retrieve some more fire power then their chances of getting out of this ranged from slim to none. The loss of all those lives was something he would just not allow, not while he still had an ounce of breath left in his body.
As they reached the next level they weren’t surprised to see it was deserted, all non-essential personnel having evacuated the building via one of the fifteen exit tunnels the moment the alarm had been raised. The computer would have sent out the evacuation order to each NI so there was no need for klaxons or sirens, everyone would know what was happening and where to go. For some reason this hadn’t happened to those in close proximity of Tanya Wilde, a fact that was beginning to dawn on Matt Hawk.
Touching his right ear to activate the com. bug Hawk said, “General Sinclair, what’s the security protocol for evacuation procedures?”
“The computer sends out the evacuation order to each individual NI informing personnel of the situation, it’s fast and ensures everyone is informed simultaneously which gives people a better chance of survival. Why do you ask?” replied Sinclair, his voice quiet yet distinct in Hawk’s ear.
“Because I never got the order and, I suspect, neither did anyone in our group,” Hawk stated.”
“Now you mention it, I didn’t either and until now, it never occurred to me,” Sinclair admitted.
“We were rather busy, sir. I’m not sure if it’s relevant or significant but it does explain why we saw no one as we left Tec Division and why this level is deserted, but it doesn’t explain why we or Tec Division didn’t get the call.”
“What makes you think they didn’t?”
“Because the first thing Major Purvis said to you was ‘what was happening’ and ‘were we under attack’ remember, sir? If he’d received the call, chances are he wouldn’t have even been there to meet us.”
“Of course you’re right, what do you think it means?”
“I’m not sure, but I’m leaning towards the supposition that if Wilde was using Tanya’s NI to target us that somehow he used that proximity sensor to send down a localised jamming signal just so that we wouldn’t be warned like the rest. He didn’t stop us using the com. channels though, whether that was by design or beyond the frequency or power I suppose we’ll never know. It’s just a theory sir, like I said,” Hawk finished, bringing the group to a halt, they had arrived at the test range.
* * * * *
“Don’t understand this,” Rygar said to himself as he viewed the sensor readings relayed to his palm pad. There were a few life signs down in the lower levels, a few isolated in a group on the first sub level but, apart from that, nothing, the entire lower levels were deserted. He knew warnings would have gone out, that was standard operating procedure for any life-threatening situation but he had thought because Wilde had ordered so many of his troops down here to kill everyone left that there would be more targets, a point he was about to clarify with the man himself.
“Sir, the building is deserted apart from a small group moving up from the lower levels and another in the first sub level,” he said through a com. channel opened via his NI.
“The first sub level will be where Ops Centre is and the other group will be General Sinclair and my daughter. Send half your force to shut down Ops Centre and you take the rest and capture General Sinclair and my daughter, the rest you can kill. My original order about my daughter still stands, kill her if she gives you a problem and do it fast Rygar, reinforcements are on their way,” Wilde replied not really answering the question that Rygar didn’t really ask. Deciding against further probing he chose to take the matter up at a later date and concentrate instead on the task at hand.
Dividing his troops he said, “You lot take Ops Centre on sub level one, shut it down and kill everyone there, the rest of you with me. The man in charge wants General Sinclair and his daughter alive, the rest are expendable. Let’s move out.”
* * * * *
As they entered the test range again they encountered a totally silent and empty room. Spacious and lengthy, the test range comprised of long aisles with one person-sized booths at one end with a small ledge for the weapons being tested to be placed upon prior to firing, so the user could familiarise themselves with it. At the far end of each aisle were targets placed on a simple hook attached to an overhead rail that ran down the length of the aisle.
Along both walls at the front end where the shooter would stand were an assortment of pistols, rifles and battery clips held in racks lined up like soldiers on parade.
“Help yourselves to whatever you’re familiar with or whatever you think you can handle,” Hawk said as the marines rushed to the racks. “I want everyone armed with at least a pistol, so if you’re not sure how to use it one of the marines or myself will instruct you. Make sure you have at least two spare battery clips for each weapon you choose,” Hawk instructed.
Sinclair grabbed a Sig P996 for himself and one for Tanya. “Here you are my dear,” he said as he handed her the pistol, “it’s quite simple to operate.” He ejected the battery clip from the butt, rammed it back home with the palm of his hand, pulled back on the slide on top to prime the weapon, then turned the selector by the thumb position on the butt to ‘Full Power’. “See, simple, it has to be for marines to be able to handle it under fire. To use it just point it at the enemy and fire until they fall down,” he added trying to make it seem easier than it was so she would feel better about carrying and perhaps having to use a lethal weapon.
Following his lead she did as she had been shown then once the pistol had been primed she sighted down the barrel holding it in a two-handed grip and at arm’s length. “I see what you mean,” she said smiling self-consciously.
“Right people, we need to get moving,” Hawk said as he strapped on a second shoulder holster holding another Sig P996. He had a Remm Mk III assault rifle slung over his other shoulder. On the belt around his waist were pouches filled with spare battery clips. The pouches had contacts inside connected to a small recharging unit integral in the belt. When the clips were in the pouches they would constantly recharge supplying the modern marine with an almost inexhaustible supply of ammunition.
Looking around at the expectant faces before him he saw people who were looking to him for leadership and guidance to get them through the next few moments and on to safety. Only two men had enough experience to see the situation clearly. Colonel De Boer understood the chain of command and that in situations such as this only one voice was needed, one leader to give commands and clear directions. In this case he realised that Matt Hawk was in charge here not because of rank but because it was an extension of an operation that was still ongoing. General Sinclair understood the same and looked on with pride.
Seeing those faces watching him, Hawk knew he couldn’t let them down. He would do everything in his powe
r to lead them to safety.
“Okay people, let’s move out,” he said with calm determination.
* * * * *
Lieutenant Severs had initiated a complete lock down of the Ops Centre. All three entrances to the circular room were locked securely with force fields in place to ensure no one could gain access.
Another step he took to ensure the safety of the men and women under his command was to arm them all. Everyone was issued with a Sig P996 and, as standard operating procedure, the two security guards, also Recon Delta marines were armed with Remm Mk III assault rifles.
Severs positioned all his personnel in the middle of the centre console so they at least had some cover should the hostiles breach the security measures that were in place.
He had done everything he could, all that was left was to wait and see what happened next.
He didn’t have to wait for very long.
Pounding, loud and booming was heard from outside the room as the assault began.
“Hold your positions people, the fortifications should hold,” Severs said. “Only fire if they breach the room. Pick your targets and fire in short, controlled bursts to conserve ammunition,” he added.
The pounding continued, increasing in intensity. The doors began to buckle under the onslaught of such concentrated firepower.
Sparks flew out from the doorways towards the interior of the room.
Severs glanced around at his people, at the worried, fearful yet resolute expressions and he knew that even through the fear they would fight, to the very end if need be.
The doors began to glow from the barrage of pulsed plasma bolts. Sparks flew across the room more frequently as the force fields struggled to maintain integrity on the verge of overloading.
Suddenly an explosion rocked the Ops Centre as one of the doors blew inwards, the force fields having failed. Debris mixed with the fiery cloud generated by the explosion blew inwards forcing everyone to duck down behind the centre console.
