by Jan Domagala
As Travis flew over the wreckage that was left of the clones attacking forces he called Colonel De Boer on a closed channel, “Colonel you are cleared to land,” he said. Although his part of the mission had been a success it had cost dearly and what was to come would cost more lives. This was a sobering thought he took with him as he, and what was left of Red Wing, returned to base.
*****
Down in the upper levels of the HQ Hermes, the Rover5 designated as leader of the mission had been in constant contact through his NI with the forces up on the surface. When they were attacked by Red Wing, the forces who had arrived in the Escape Pods had rushed into the complex that led to the interior entrance for Col Sec HQ to reinforce those forces who were readying the device and to be ready for the next wave of Rover5’s who were coming.
He contacted the Rover5’s who were just below the surface getting the device ready to be activated. The device was a thermabaric earthquake bomb so powerful that it would seal off the entire base from the surface. Whoever was left below the surface would not escape alive. They would die from the heat and shockwave the explosion created which would leave the base ripe for the picking.
The originators of this plan could see no possible way that those inside the base when the charge exploded could survive. They had thought of every conceivable escape scenario and had a contingency plan for each of them. Col Sec was doomed.
“Start the countdown, one hour should be enough time for us to reach the rest of them, and just enough time for the Colonel to arrive just too late to help,” he said. With a wave of his hand he urged his men forward toward those trapped beneath.
29
The local Constabulary had formed a perimeter around the RandCorp building and when the Wildfire Team rappelled down from the forward section of the Pulsar, they made sure no one encroached on that perimeter.
Jake and the team landed lightly at the foot of the steps to the building and immediately released their cords which were spooled back inside the Pulsar before the AI took her back into the air.
Swinging their Remm pulse rifles from their backs they brought them up to their shoulders aiming down the barrels ready to fire.
The forward section of the Pulsar had turned to face the front of the building and the second the Wildfire Team had brought up their rifles, Artie fired the forward pulse cannons. Pulsed plasma bolts peppered the front of the building on continuous fire, the windows, doors in fact the entire front of the building was decimated under the barrage from the pulse cannons.
Jake and the rest of the team ran forward toward the smashed front of the building and the second they were within reach of entering, the pulse cannons ceased firing. The timing had been immaculate, they had trusted Artie to get it right, and everything they had gone through together in the past few weeks had cemented that trust.
They burst through the smashed front of the building and the Heads Up Display’s on their helmets had already targeted the Rover5’s so each member shot and killed one of them.
The remaining clones were not fazed by the swift retaliatory action and came from out of their cover firing their weapons. The Team knew where they had been hiding and so when the clones emerged from their cover they were already moving out of the target area. Having reaction times point five faster than that of normal humans, including the clones meant that they were already targeting them once they had moved. Pulsed plasma bolts stitched a line of death across the chest of one clone sending it flying across the room whilst another had its head blown apart. The last two were cut down before they had the chance to return fire after missing with their first salvos.
The entire action took less than a minute from start to finish.
Jake looked around at the mayhem caused both by them and by the clones before them. He said, “What a mess,”
“Copy that,” Cooper said.
“These people were cut down with no regard for the fact that they were non-combatants. For fuck’s sake they weren’t even armed,” Torres said angrily.
“Let’s finish this,” Jake said with a grim determination. He contacted Kurt via his NI and said, “The lobby is secure, we’re on our way up to the Penthouse.”
“I’ll try give you a distraction as I’m sure Norsky will be monitoring the elevators,” Kurt replied as he readied himself for the next phase of the operation.
“There’s no need Kurt, we’ve got it covered, I just hope the Rand’s don’t mind what we’re about to do to their building,” Jake replied then broke the connection leaving Kurt wondering just what he had meant.
“Artie, you know what to do,” Jake said as he connected to the Pulsar’s AI.
“I am in position now sir, waiting for your command,” the AI replied.
“Okay, let’s do this,” Jake said and they headed for the elevator.
*****
Matt and Zara had armed themselves with Remm assault rifles along with the Recon Delta marines who had been stationed at the HQ. They knew they had a fight on their hands, if it had just been the advancing force of the Rover5’s it would have been bad enough. The enclosed spaces of the corridors and offices and labs would make it hard enough to formulate a defence strategy but when you added the element of the three beasts from Tartaran the odds against success plummeted. Never the less they would do what had to be done to ensure the safety of the HQ. Sinclair would not allow another Headquarters to be destroyed. He still had nightmares about the attack in New York, the dead and dying who he had been powerless to save had haunted his dreams. The massive cost of losing the building and having to relocate was something he could live with but the cost in lives was something he would not put up with. It was something he knew would stay with him until their deaths had been avenged.
“Sir I would feel safer if you would go with the others into the evacuation tubes,” Matt said.
“I am not leaving Matt, you will need every able bodied person available and I intend to help in any way I can,” replied the general.
“Sir we can do our jobs more effectively if you are not here. Your being here puts an added strain on our resources,” Matt argued.
“How so?”
“If we have to concentrate on keeping you safe then our attention is divided between what is important. Your safety is a priority, you are the head of Col Sec and our duty is to keep you from harm, we can’t be as effective in defending this place if we are continually worried about you. You have to go sir,” Matt said.
Sinclair stood back and looked at the faces of those around him. They all wore concerned expressions. He knew that the task before them was an almost insurmountable mountain to climb and the last thing he wanted was for his presence to add to its difficulty. He had hoped that his being there might in some way spur them on to greater efforts but it seems he had read it all wrong and the opposite was truer.
With great sadness he nodded his head and said, “Okay, the last thing I want is to be a hindrance so I’ll accede to your wishes but I have to say it is with great reluctance,” he said and he turned to leave. As he reached the door he turned and said, “Good luck to you all.”
*****
Norsky was getting impatient with all the waiting. Surely Kurt should have arrived by now he was thinking when he tried to connect with the clones down in the lobby. When he found no connection between his NI and none of the clones down in the lobby he realised something was wrong. Somehow they were all dead, somehow they had been overpowered, but by whom?
Perhaps Kurt was already here and he had come with some back up after all. If that was the case then he had to get ready for his arrival.
He used his NI to connect to the buildings intercom system and said, “Are you there Kurt, come on now, don’t be shy. Come on out so we can get this game started.” His voice boomed out of all the speakers that were hidden in the walls throughout the building.
Able tried to remain calm, the final confrontation was getting closer every second and now clearly this gunman thought that his adversary
was hiding from him. He didn’t say or do anything; he thought it best he didn’t antagonise an already inflammable situation so he remained seated and waited.
Kurt accessed the same speaker system to reply. “What’s the matter Pavel, are you missing me?” he said as he walked into view.
Norsky saw him at the end of the corridor and brought his Remm assault rifle up to fire. Before he could pull the trigger though the window behind him imploded showering him with millions of shards of crystallised Plexiglas as pulsed plasma bolts struck it. Outside the building the forward section of the Pulsar had flown up and hovered in position then opened fire with the forward pulse cannons once the AI had scanned the interior to locate Norsky. This was the diversion Jake had talked about.
Norsky threw himself on the floor the moment it happened, not sure what the hell was going on.
Kurt had contacted Able in the same way as before to warn him that something was about to happen and when it did, he was to run toward the door and escape. The head of RandCorp bolted out of his seat when chaos exploded inside the room leaving the gunman behind in a state of total confusion. By the time Norsky realised what was happening it was too late to do anything about it. All he could do was watch his hostage escape through the door toward where he had seen his nemesis, Kurt Stryder.
He was filled with a rage then of such intensity that he sprang to his feet, a bellow of pure hatred spilling over his lips to echo through the corridor as he ran at Kurt.
The moment Kurt saw Norsky get to his feet and start to run at him he brought up his Remm assault rifle to fire. He had to wait for Able Rand to clear his line of sight first but the moment he was clear he opened fire on the former Alliance agent.
A stream of pulsed plasma bolts lanced through the air between the two of them finally impacting on Norsky’s blast resistant vest. The damage to him was minimal but the kinetic effect from the bolts stopped him in his tracks as it knocked the breath out of him.
“Go, get to your children, they’re in an office close by,” Kurt said as Able ran up to him breathlessly. He never took his eyes off Norsky. He had watched him go down as he was hit by the stream of plasma bolts but he knew it would not stop him for long. The body armour he wore would protect him from harm and his regenerative powers would help him recover more rapidly than a normal human from the kinetic effect of the blasts.
He allowed Able to get around him while he kept his assault rifle trained on the area he had seen Norsky go down.
“Is that the best you’ve got Kurt? Is that how you want this played out, trying to kill me from a distance?” said Norsky as he got to his feet shrugging off the effects of the shot to his chest.
“The thought had crossed my mind,” Kurt replied.
“I thought you were a soldier, a warrior. I thought you would want to look me in the eye when you tried to kill me, you know, up close and personal,” Norsky said throwing his arms wide in a gesture that said ‘come and get me’.
“You thought wrong,” Kurt said and he shot him again.
As the ex Alliance agent was flung backwards off his feet once more Kurt turned and left the corridor. He caught up with Able who by that time was in the office with his son and daughter and Mitch Ryan, their security chief.
“Right, is everything set?” he said when they all turned to look at him.
“We’re all set,” Mitch said, his jaw set in determination. “Are you sure you want to do this?” he added.
“I can think of no other way, can you? Besides, you don’t know this man like I know him. Trust me, there is no other way,” Kurt said and he held out his hand to Jess who handed over the small device.
“Is it set?” he asked and she replied with a simple nod of her head. “Good, now go, get out of here, it’s me he wants not you but I don’t want you near when he comes after me,” he added and ushered them out of the room toward the escape chutes.
“Come on there’s one at the rear of this office,” said Josh and the four of them entered the small opening that Mitch had activated. They were soon falling toward the ground on the outside of the building riding down on a cushion of air. If it had not been for the danger they had just faced Josh for one would have loved the ride. As it was he was just glad to get his family and Mitch away from the danger and hoped that Kurt could handle things without their help.
He didn’t know the man but he had a feeling they would work together pretty soon.
Kurt waited for them to leave then he turned back to face where Norsky was last seen.
Suddenly there was a blur of motion before him which he just had time to make out as the shape of a man, Norsky rushing at him. The ex Alliance agent hit him with the force of an express train which carried the both of them into the wall. The speed he hit him with was enough to kill a normal man but because of their enhanced strength they survived the collision, which was more than could be said for the wall. A man shaped crater appeared at the point of impact with cracks that travelled outward from it. Plaster and chunks of the wall rained down of them as they struggled, each trying to gain the upper hand.
Norsky was the aggressor pushing Kurt further into the already damaged wall then he slammed a knee into his midriff forcing the air out of his lungs in an audible ‘whoosh!’ As Kurt’s head went down from the force of the blow Norsky brought up the other knee into his face. There was an explosion of blood from Kurt’s nose as the blow impacted on it. Norsky continued his frenzied attack by lifting Kurt’s face up with his left hand around his throat then smashed his right fist into his already bloodied face repeatedly until Kurt‘s knees sagged. Norsky stepped back and as Kurt slowly slid down the wall he pummelled him some more from above.
Kurt felt his senses leaving him and he fought to keep awake. Shrugging off the effects of the blows he reared up, using the strength in his legs and pushed Norsky off of him sending him staggering across the corridor.
Norsky could not believe that he was still awake, that he still had any fight left in him and his anger exploded once more fuelled by frustration at being thwarted once more.
He sprang back at him before Kurt could react fully He was on him again raining blows down on his face, chest anywhere he could hit. There was no reason or tactic to his attack just pure frenzied hatred.
Kurt covered up and regained some composure but under the attack he could not do much except defend himself. Seeing an opportunity when Norsky brought his hand back to strike once more, Kurt smashed his own fist into the unprotected throat of his attacker.
Norsky immediately fell off him clutching his crushed throat as he desperately tried to drag air into his lungs but found he could not breathe. He writhed on the floor as panic gripped him and his face turned blue.
Kurt took the time to regain his composure and his own breath. His face regenerated rapidly, the cuts and bruises healing as new skin formed over them. He knew he had not killed Norsky, if his regenerative abilities were anything similar to his own then he knew his throat would soon heal and the attack would continue. Sure enough he saw Norsky’s throat begin to fill out once more and the bruising slowly disappear as it healed. The colour of his face returned to normal and he got to his feet staring at Kurt. A smile crossed his lips and he said, “You’re going to have to do better than that Kurt.”
30
The Recon Delta marines who were the security detail in Col Sec HQ were led by Captain Mykal Trent. Six feet four of hardened muscle tempered by a fierce intelligence he was a well liked officer. Hair so white and cut so short made his head appear bald and eyes that almost pierced those his laser like stare landed on made him an intimidating sight.
He led his men up towards where the Rover5’s were coming down. They had no idea what their intentions were but whatever they were it was not good news for those in the lower levels.
“You know the drill guys. We stop them at the first opportunity or we die trying,” Trent said through his internal comm. channel filtered through his Rapier battle helmet to only those in h
is squad. He had a squad of twelve marines, not enough for what faced them but they had no choice, it was them or nothing. The only consolation in their favour was that they also had Matt and Zara on their side.
Through the HUD in his helmet he received sensor data about the approaching bio signs. What he saw furrowed his brow, the bio signs of the clones, he could handle but it was what came with them that worried him. What were those things? He turned to Matt and asked, “What the fuck are we facing here Matt?”
Matt’s expression told him everything he needed to know, what he said confirmed it. He said, “Your worst nightmare.”
Trent checked the sensor data once more which told him they were close. “Okay guys, this is it,” he said as a sound reached them from around the corner in the corridor, a sound that chilled the blood, the deep throated roar of the octo felines.
They had arrived.
*****
Norsky rushed at Kurt once more, he was feeling more powerful than ever. He knew there was nothing that could stop him, oh he could be hurt, he could still be injured and feel the pain from it but it wouldn’t stop him. He knew he would regenerate and be able to fight on and his strength and speed had been increased, he had noticed it earlier but during this fight was when he finally realised just how powerful he had become.
He was a God; there was nothing he could not do, nothing that could stop him.
When he had done what he wanted with Kurt he would turn his fury on those clones that brought him here. Those clones who thought they controlled him, they would soon learn who the true master was.
The two of them collided once more, rolling on the floor of the corridor, each punching the other in an attempt to gain the upper hand. Norsky shrugged off each blow with contempt as his confidence rose to epic proportions. Kurt fought with the ease and grace of a skilled fighter, carefully warding off blows that would kill a normal human and dodging others.
