The Vagabonds (The Code of War Book 4)

by Jim Roberts

  No.

  No matter what happens, he would win this day.

  Olympus is mine, he thought.

  And nobody is taking it from me.

  * * *

  CAEDRA MANEUVERED the lead Fenrir across the empty ocean, searching for any sign of their quarry. From the co-pilot seat beside her, Lennox’s commanding voice came over the comm channel.

  “We should have visual contact within thirty seconds. Get ready, folks!”

  Krieger checked his automatic shotgun a final time. He’d fitted the weapon with a round magazine of Frag-12 High Explosive Fragmenting Antipersonnel ammunition. Capable of chewing through the heftiest of body armor, it would be the Russian’s ammo of choice once he was down on the deck of the submarine. Beside him, Curtis Walker prepped the large pack of semtex that would be used to disable the Titan. Lennox had been fairly certain that twenty pounds of PETN semtex placed near an important location would be more than enough to cause catastrophic internal damage to the floating beast.

  Krieger, saw something catch Walker’s eye. The gunrunner pointed at the water below.

  “Jesus, look at that!”

  The great blue that was the Caribbean Sea began to part as a massive ship broke the surface like a breaching whale.

  Krieger shook his head, closed his eyes, then opened them again. There were no words to explain what he felt witnessing such a sight.

  The wing of Blitzers, far faster and more maneuverable than their Vagabond counterparts, took point, swooping in low toward the Titan.

  Krieger heard the Vagabond commander radio back to the Harbinger, “Lennox to Reynolds, come in, over?”

  “This is Reynolds, over.”

  “We have the Titan in sight. Preparing to engage, over.”

  “Copy that, Commander. You are clear to engage, repeat, you are clear to engage, over.”

  Lennox signed off with the carrier, then switched to speak with the attack force, “Attack Force Alpha, we have clearance to engage. Prepare to—”

  Before the Vagabond commander could issue his next order, a slew of anti-air cannon fire burst from compartments hidden around the exterior of the giant submarine. The Blitzers broke formation, trying to avoid the flak. Krieger and his team were jostled in their seats as Caedra pulled the Fenrir back out of range of the anti-aircraft cannons.

  Chaos erupted in above the Titan as the overcast morning air was split by concussive explosions.

  Lennox shouted over the mic, “Fenrir attack squadron, stay low and target the Titan’s defenses. Don’t waste time attacking the hull—aim for the weapon emplacements only!”

  Curtis Walker, having barely been able to tear his eyes away from the ship, said, “Lennox, sir, check that out. It’s opening up!”

  Krieger saw that the top of the massive supercarrier had indeed split into four parts and was sliding open to reveal an internal hanger bay.

  Caedra said to Lennox, “Sir, we have incoming!”

  Rising from the interior of the Titan like swarms of enraged locusts, were a dozen Hyperion gunships. The powerful VTOLs powered into the sky, their autocannon weapons preparing to meet their aggressors.

  The Peacemaker Blitzer aircraft, guarding the Fenrirs, roared in to engage their Olympus enemies.

  This was it.

  The battle was joined.

  All would be decided today.

  Chapter 34

  Doomed to Greatness

  Onboard the Titan, October 7th

  ANOTHER VIOLENT strike caught Joe hard in the midsection. It was followed by a ruthless uppercut that lifted him off his feet and flung him back to land hard upon the surface of the Proving ground.

  Can’t take much more of this, Joe thought, spitting out a tooth.

  Agrippina, even with her power suit, was only able to cover Joe for so long. After another few minutes of sustained fighting, even the former Olympus assassin was feeling the brunt of Orion’s attack. Her face was badly bruised and blood poured from a cut that stretched from the top of her head into her eye.

  They’d felt explosions wracking the exterior of the Titan only a few moments ago. The entire vessel seemed like it was heaving against their unknown attackers.

  Peeling himself off the floor, Joe managed to shakily get to his feet.

  What’s going on out there?

  He had to get out of this room somehow. Both exits were locked down, making an escape impossible. The observation balcony was too high to reach.

  But even if he did escape, where could he go that Orion couldn’t track him down and kill him?

  Agrippina screamed as she threw herself at Orion, any thought or plan of attack being lost in a desire to win at all costs.

  It was at that moment Orion stopped playing nice.

  He caught Agrippina’s renewed assault and answered it with a vicious series of blows to her midsection. Blood poured from her mouth as the harpy tried to defend herself. Joe, in an effort to stave off Orion from outright murdering her, tried one last attack. Standing on legs that felt like Jell-O, he rushed Danny again.

  Joe knew it was a mistake before his attack even landed. He was upside down and on his back from a violent judo throw before he could say ‘FUBAR’.

  And this time, Orion wasn’t kidding around.

  He raised his boot to drive Braddock’s face straight through the bulkhead.

  …Only, the attack never came.

  From above them, like some guardian angel, a figure dropped from the balcony, to land against Orion’s back, knocking the super-soldier off balance.

  Joe’s cloudy vision focused on his rescuer.

  Kim Yuanza.

  Orchid.

  * * *

  THROUGH THE overcast skies above the Titan, the battle raged.

  Blitzer aircraft engaged the dragonfly-like Hyperion VTOLs in a deadly game of aerial dogfighting. From Krieger’s seat in the command Fenrir, he watched as an unlucky Peacemaker Blitzer took a blast of concussive fire straight to its cockpit. The aircraft dropped from the sky like a falling star to crash into the ocean.

  But so far, luck was on their side. Their preemptive attack had caught the Titan mostly unaware and allowed the Fenrirs to score multiple Stinger missile strikes against the more sensitive exterior targets of the massive submarine.

  But it wasn’t enough.

  Lennox got on the comm to all forces, “This is Lennox. Vagabond Force Bravo, head down to the hard deck. We’re sending in the troops, over.”

  Finally, thought Krieger as he hefted his AA-12. He was starting to think he’d never get in on this action.

  The Fenrir attack force moved in toward the hulk of the Titan, maneuvering on top of the open segments of the exterior shell. Unable to land due to the uneven surface, the troops elected to instead take a quick leap onto the slippery shell. Once the invading teams of Peacemakers and Vagabonds were out, the Fenrirs pulled back out of harm’s way.

  With his team of twenty behind him, Krieger led the way toward the edge of the split segments of the Titan’s outer shell. Curtis Walker followed—the backpack of semtex slung behind his back.

  Krieger clutched his AA-12, ready to dish out some justice—Peacemaker style.

  Hold on Joe, I’m on my way!

  * * *

  JOE BLINKED as he looked upon his savior. Clad head to toe in the silver Whisper armor, the faceplate was pulled back to show Orchid’s angular face.

  She held out a hand to Joe. “On your feet, Braddock.”

  Clasping his hand, Orchid helped him up. Beside them, Agrippina hefted herself painfully to one knee. The Olympus harpy was more than a bit surprised at the armored Peacemaker’s sudden arrival.

  “Oh great, it’s you.”

  Orchid smirked. “Well, don’t thank me all at once, Aggy.”

  Across from them, Orion had regained his footing. The deadly cyborg turned to meet his new opponent. Orchid’s breathe caught in her throat.

  “My God…Danny…” The moment of shock wore off quick from Yuan
za’s face, replaced instead with a resolute determination. She looked at Joe and said, “The Peacemakers and Vagabonds are making their way into the open hanger of the Titan. Right now, you need to stop the Viral A.I.”

  “What about him?” Joe said, gesturing to Orion.

  “Leave him to us.” Orchid reached into her pocket, removing a small device the size of a cigarette lighter. “This is a security fob I snatched from a Centurion. It should open the door.” Next, she handed him her MP7. “Get to the Stream Core. The Centurions are mostly located around the hanger area, so it shouldn’t be too heavily guarded. Stop Titus from activating the A.I.”

  Taking the fob, Joe looked into Yuanza’s cool eyes. She nodded back to him. “Good luck, Braddock.”

  “You too, Yuanza.”

  Joe ran toward the hatch leading out of the dojo. Holding the fob over the terminal access, he heard the sound of the door unlocking. Clutching the MP7 in one hand, Braddock leaned out to see if the coast was clear. He slipped into the corridor and took off toward the Stream Core.

  Hang on Jade…

  * * *

  AGRIPPINA JOINED Orchid in the center of the Proving ground, wincing as she rubbed her arm.

  “So, just us now, huh?”

  Orchid nodded, “Mm-hmm. You ready?”

  “Always.”

  The two women squared off against the Olympus super soldier.

  “He’s faster than both of us, but he’s also blind.” Agrippina stated, “We’ll need to work together.”

  “Well…that shouldn’t be too hard, should it?” Orchid replied, closing her faceplate.

  Agrippina grunted.

  Orion clenched his fists.

  For a brief few seconds, the only sound in the Proving was the vague echoes of explosions outside the Titan.

  Pushing back on his powerful legs, Orion launched himself toward his enemies. Like two valkyries charging to battle, Agrippina and Orchid rushed the cyborg, clashing once again in a brutal contest for absolute victory.

  * * *

  FROM THE cockpit of the Fenrir, Lennox watched the battle unfold. So far, the Blitzers had managed to knock six Hyperions from the sky, at a cost of three of their own. The aerial battle was going better than expected, thanks to the outstanding skill of the Peacemaker pilots.

  But the weapon emplacements on the Titan’s hull were still cause for concern.

  The Vagabond commander had an idea.

  He activated his mic, “All Fenrir aircraft, this is Lennox—target the weapon emplacement near the aft ventricle. AIM-92 rockets only!”

  From the pilot seat, Caedra cast Lennox a questioning glance, “What are you doing, sir?”

  Lennox explained, “That emplacement is located directly on top of the port ballast tank. If we can hit it with enough strikes, there’s a chance we can cripple the tank and flood it. If Krieger and his team aren’t able to place the explosives in time, this just might be enough to do the big bastard in for good.”

  His lieutenant seemed dubious at the plan.

  Lennox said, “Don’t worry, Krieger and our men are nowhere near that area. Do it!”

  Caedra nodded, “Yes, sir!”

  As the Blitzers continued to engage the Hyperions, Lennox’s own Fenrirs maneuvered toward the aft of the Titan. Coordinating their attacks, they sent round after round of Stinger rockets into the exposed weapon emplacement. Bursts of flame exploded from the aft hull as the missiles detonated the interior of the vessel’s aft compartments.

  Lennox was elated when he saw the massive vessel slowly start to list to one side. The damage alone wasn’t enough to sink the beast, but if Krieger’s team succeeded in their task, it just might be.

  * * *

  RAPPELLING DOWN from the open shell into the gaping hanger bay, Krieger led the charge of Peacemakers and Vagabonds against the Olympus forces within. The AA-12 barked in the Russian’s hands like a cannon from hell. The Fragmentation ammo shredded multiple Centurions—helpless against the raging Russian’s onslaught. Covering his back, Curtis Walker’s SCAR rifle bucked in his hands, cutting down multiple tangos.

  Above them, the Blitzers shot down the third to last Hyperion. The tremendously maneuverable aircraft had performed brilliantly over the past few minutes, knocking the Olympus gunships from the sky like clay pigeons.

  Any of the Blitzer and Fenrir craft currently not engaged in fighting were concentrating their attacks against the Titan.

  Amidst the chaos, Krieger smiled.

  All-out war was being waged.

  Suddenly, there came a massive explosion from the exterior of the Titan.

  The comm unit in Krieger’s ear chimed. Answering it, the Russian heard Lennox’s voice coming from the other end.

  “Krieger, we’ve managed to damage the port ballast tank. If you can get the semtex to the upper port propulsion room, it should be enough to sink that bastard!”

  Directly ahead, Krieger saw another Hyperion attempt to rise into the air from its launch pad. Aiming the AA-12, he let loose a barrage of explosive gunfire toward the aircraft. With a sheer sense of satisfaction, he saw the Frag rounds pierce the inverted VTOL engine. The fuel inside ignited and the entire Hyperion exploded into a bright, messy fireball.

  With the threat eliminated, Krieger keyed his mic, “Copy that, Vagabond Commander. Walker will take care of it, out.”

  Curtis Walker cast the Russian a wide-eyed look, “What? Why me?”

  Krieger grinned, as he unslung the semtex pack. “Because you are dependable.”

  Walker scoffed as the Russian passed him the backpack.

  “Get to the propulsion center,” Krieger said as he reloaded his shotgun, “I’m going to look for Joe!”

  Walker nodded his understanding, “See you on the other side, Alexei.” With that, Walker, along with half the combined Vagabond and Peacemaker strike force, took off into the belly of the Titan. Guided by a crude map on their PDAs, courtesy of Leo Lennox, the team would hopefully have little difficulty finding the propulsion unit of the sub.

  Leaving the other half of the strike force to hold the hanger bay, Krieger, alone now, jogged to the nearest hatch leading to the bow of the vessel, where its bridge and control hubs were located.

  If Lennox’s instructions were precise, his next destination would be the Stream Core on Deck A-2.

  * * *

  RUSHING DOWN the mazelike corridor of the Titan, Joe Braddock retraced his steps back to the Core. Every so often he felt the Titan rocked from the impact of another explosion. Alarm sounds were blaring across the overhead speakers.

  Chaos reigned on board the ship.

  A luckless Centurion crossed Joe’s path. A quick burst of armor-piercing rounds of the MP7 perforated the body of the trooper, dropping him like a wet mop. Joe switched up the MP7 for the Centurion’s far superior FN F2000 assault rifle. Positioning it to a cheek weld position, he moved forward, eyes out for any other obstacles in his path.

  “Braddock!”

  A voice Joe recognized all too well made him freeze in place.

  Rourke.

  The traitorous SEAL was behind him.

  “That’s right, Joe—drop the gun.”

  Joe slowly raised his arms, “You don’t need to do this, Clive.” Stuck in place, he couldn’t see the man, even in his peripheral vision.

  Rourke snarled, “We each make decisions that change our destinies, Braddock. Mine’s already been made. Now drop the damn gun!”

  What do I do?

  Another explosion came from the rear of the Titan. Abruptly, the entire ship started to list to one side. It was all the diversion Joe needed. He threw himself into a diving roll toward a shallow alcove in the corridor bulkhead.

  An arc of brilliant energy tore across the ground where he’d just been, slicing through the steel flooring like it was butter.

  The bastard has a railgun!

  Knowing that any cover he chose would be useless against the super-conducted electromagnetic rifle, Joe chose the offen
sive approach.

  Leaning out, staying as low as possible, he fired the FN2000 blindly in the general direction of the SEAL. Joe saw the bullets strike the bulkhead beside Rourke’s form—tearing into the superstructure behind him. An explosion of steam poured out, obscuring the SEAL’s line of sight. Rourke let out a cry as he was burned by the escaping superheated air—his next shot from the railgun going wide and burying into the wall above Joe.

  Now or never!

  Dropping the assault rifle, Joe charged out from his cover and lunged at Rourke. The SEAL, still groping behind the steam, fired another rail bolt.

  Joe felt the charge sting past his face, missing him. He powered underneath through the escaping steam and plowed like a battering ram into Rourke. The railgun was knocked from the SEAL’s hands to clatter to the floor, uselessly.

  Locked in mortal combat, the two men grappled with each other, former Army Ranger versus former Navy SEAL.

  The first few seconds of the fight had both men at an impasse.

  Trading blows back and forth, the two men fought for all they were worth. Rourke, while similar in build to Braddock, was fresher and driven by a mad purpose.

  Rourke slammed his head into Joe’s face, breaking his nose.

  Joe retaliated with several violent punches to the traitor’s sternum.

  The two men locked together, each trying to gain the upper hand.

  Rourke attempted to trip his grappled opponent, throwing Joe temporarily off balance. With his enemy’s back to him, Rourke put Joe into a rear-naked choke—his forearm threatening to cut off the Peacemaker’s air supply.

  Gasping for air, Joe felt the SEAL begin edging him toward the escaping torrent of steam.

  Joe could feel the heat, hot enough to sear the flesh from his face.

  No…Not yet…

  Joe thrust his head back into Rourke’s jaw. He felt the traitor’s grip give way for a moment. With all his strength, Joe wrenched forward, bringing Rourke over his back with a brutal judo throw.