CHAPTER 29
Jonah left the road at some point as they traveled. The bush was clearing a little now as the forest began to merge with the light side plant life and they could bump along between the trees.
After some circling, and second guessing, Jonah located the clearing where the fire fight had occurred, and Ray had been kidnapped. Ray managed to lever herself up, remove the cannula from her arm and slide out the back of the truck.
Evidence of the fight was all around. Spent shell casings everywhere and the log that Ray had used for cover had a huge rent in it.
Ray checked the comms tower. Her HHI was still there plugged into the board and two of her work lights remained intact casting an arc of light along the ground where they had fallen. Recent activity on her HHI showed that the Netmap download was complete and her unit fully charged.
On instinct, Ray called up the location of the other HHIs. They all had GPS chips in them so that the technicians in the field could locate each other. The IDs and locations of the chips scrolled down the screen and Ray superimposed them on a terrain map. Her instincts were correct. She could clearly see two spots on the map at her location. One for her HHI and one for the CDSE truck she and Jonah were using.
Both were CDSE manufactured and they clearly used the same GPS chips. Ray rolled the map out towards Atlas searching for other active chips. It didn’t take long before she found two dots moving over the terrain from Atlas and two from the Darklands.
The two from Atlas had already traveled half the distance and were moving too fast and too directly for ground vehicles. The other two were most likely the remaining two trucks from the Darklands compound. They had obviously figured out that Jonah had taken the other vehicle. Ray estimated they had less than an hour before the trucks arrived. Possibly less for the aircraft.
She scanned her memory for options. The HHI GPS chips were hardwired to the board and were only off when the unit was completely discharged. Ray suspected the same would be true for the truck. She grabbed a work light, and decoupled it from the comms tower. She needed to disable the truck GPS system quickly.
Jonah had dashed off into the bush. Presumably in search of Aymes, so Ray had to manhandle the heavy light and her HHI into the truck. The onboard tool kit was stocked thankfully, and she could remove the comms console cover quickly. Ray bent the metal tags that secured the cover and tossed it aside, revealing the truck comms board.
It was almost identical to her HHI comms board. Thank Maria for recycled technology. Ray located the GPS chip almost instantly. She found the power lead and ripped it out of the solder ball. The internal status LED winked out. Ray, belatedly hoped there was no interlock system that stopped the truck from operating if the comms board was down.
Behind her, through the open side door, Ray could hear heavy breathing and dragging approaching the truck. She could see Jonah’s back as he dragged but Aymes was still occluded behind him.
Ray met him at the rear of the truck as he heaved Aymes the last few feet and dumped her on the ground. Aymes was conscious but only barely. Ray couldn’t see the state of her shoulder or abdomen but, by the amount of blood soaked into the heavy bandaging, it didn’t look good.
Her left arm still hung limply and had fallen out of a sling during the trip from her hiding place. Jonah stooped, breathing heavily with hands on knees, catching his breath.
“Just the two wounds,” he said between breaths. “Her body armor stopped everything else. I think she will be fine once we get her into surgery. Not much more to be done out here.” He straightened and grimaced, still tired from the drag.
“We have to hurry,” Ray signed. “Jager has sent shuttles for us, they’ll be here in less than an hour. I disabled our GPS, so we should be able to hide now.”
Jonah leapt into the back of the truck and tied a rope to the bulkhead leaving two long loops over the transom. He jumped back out and heaved Aymes to a sitting position.
“I’ll lift her, and you hook those under her arms.” Ray nodded that she understood.
With a super human effort, Jonah managed to lift Aymes’ dead weight clear of the ground and get her armpits to the height of the truck bed. She groaned as Jonah pulled on her injured shoulder but didn’t fight back.
As quickly as she could, Ray looped the ropes under Aymes’ arms so she couldn’t fall back to the ground. Jonah vaulted into the truck and used the ropes to haul Aymes the rest of the way in. Ray was impressed that Aymes had enough presence of mind to clasp her hands in front, so the ropes didn’t slide off. He indicated Ray go around to the passenger side and pulled the doors shut. By the time Ray reached the door, Jonah was already reaching out to help her up.
Jonah acknowledged Ray’s work on the comms console as he fired up the truck reminding Ray to power down her HHI which was still transmitting their location.
Jonah set the truck in drive and headed out of the camp site aiming to skirt the Sunset Ring, staying in the dark and lowering the chances they would be spotted from the air. The CDSE shuttles were equipped with thermal imaging so they needed to get some distance between themselves and the inbound shuttle flight paths.
Jonah set a fast pace and the uneven terrain made for an uncomfortable trip. Ray had to jump into the back at one point and strap Aymes down to the floor, using Jonah’s jacket again to protect her head from the jarring impacts as the truck tracked over roots and small gullies.
They deviated by a good ten clicks before turning back towards the Sunset Ring and Atlas. Ray would have loved to check on the location of the interceptor shuttles but turning on her console would immediately give up their location. She wondered if she could find a way to disable her GPS chip without compromising the normal functions of the HHI.
Ray asked Jonah for his communicator and retrieved it from his backpack between the seats. She pressed the alert button and received an almost instantaneous response form the devices counterpart. Ray typed,
“It’s Ray, I’m OK.”
“Nettle here, thank God. What happened?”
“Lots to tell but no time. Jonah and I are running in a transport. CDSE shuttles in pursuit. Aymes here too in need of hospital. Bad leg and arm wounds...”
“We will meet you, hold for coordinates…” After a pause a set of GPS coordinates scrolled across the screen. Ray scrabbled for a pen, eventually finding one in Jonah’s pack.
“Acknowledge.” She responded once she had them down.
“Did you get the Netmap?” Nettle inquired.
“Yes,” replied Ray. “I got the whole thing and it looks like our challenge might be simpler. It turns out there are no transports coming down on the Darklands. I’ll explain when I get there.”
“Great work. Lots going on here. Looks like you have kicked a hornet’s nest. CDSE have started making their move on us. They attacked the marines first and overtook their dedicated communications with Earth. They are still fighting though. Resistance against CDSE is imminent. When will you get here? “
“Estimate 16 h.”
“Look after yourselves and keep communicator close. Things moving fast here.”
“Ray out.”
Ray got Jonah’s attention and relayed Nettles message.
He looked stunned.
“Aymes talked to base when we were attacked, and you were kidnapped. She told them to get ready to defend but they must have been overwhelmed. Clearly CDSE want to shut off all lines of communication with Earth that they don’t control. I had no idea. Aymes was lucid when I left her to get the truck, so I left base comms with her. She keeps it in one of her jacket pockets usually.”
Ray scramble over the back, protecting her newly stitched hand, and started rifling through Aymes pockets. Aymes had woken a little and helped Ray by touching the correct pocket with her good hand. Ray dragged out the communicator and patted Aymes’ muscular shoulder before heading back to her seat. She handed it to Jonah. Jonah hit the alert. A clear voice cut back.
“Pham receiving. Over�
�
“Pham, Fielding here. Inbound with one wounded. Aymes. Multiple lacs legs and arm. Frag grenade. Rendezvous at location…” Ray held up the paper and Jonah read the location, “41o24’12.2N 2o10’26.5S, ETA sixteen hours. Set for field surgery. Acknowledge.”
“Acknowledge, ETA 16 hours. GPS 41o24’12.2N 2o10’26.5S. Good to hear your voice Fielding. Over.”
“Good to be still using my voice.” Jonah responded, “SitRep. Over.”
“Under heavy fire from CDSE security. We are trying to defend last remaining commons in Town Hall. We are outnumbered. UN Marine dedicated comms destroyed. Surviving marines number twenty-seven. Personal weapons only. Two snipers, one SMG. The rest M82s. Limited frags and smoke. CDSE hunting in squads of six. We have a line of communication with local resistance. Over.
“Local resistance to be relayed through me from now on I have direct line,” Jonah responded. “Acknowledge.”
“Acknowledge. Local resistance communications relayed through you. Over.”
“Don’t be a hero Pham. Bug out if you can’t win. Acknowledge. Over”
“Acknowledge. No heroics. Over.”
“Stay safe Pham. Over and out.”
“Pham out.”
Jonah looked up at Ray and grinned.
“Looks like we are in for some action huh?”
“I don’t know if I’m any condition,” Ray signed. “All I want is to sleep for a week.”
“I hear you,” Jonah answered. “I could use a little rack myself. You can sleep now though. We have a drive ahead of us. I’ll have to rest at some point. No point falling asleep at the wheel and falling over a bluff before we even make it back to Atlas.”
Ray slumped back into the seat and let her vision defocus through the dusty glass of her passenger side window. The next forty-eight hours would likely determine the direction of the rest of her life. If things went wrong the rest of her life was likely to be very short indeed.
Ray could feel slow fear roiling in her aching gut. It was the knowing that was the worst part. Everything she had been through to this point had just arrived out of the clear blue Diana sky and she had to struggle through it as best she could on short notice. Knowing that a firefight was coming in less than a day, and she was going to be in it, was messing with her head.
She probed the wound in her stomach with her fingers finding she felt no additional pain and the skin still felt cool. Thank Maria it was a surgical tool and not some other object the clone had grabbed. A bad infection now would likely end her contribution to any fight back from the Dianians.
The dark sky eventually lightened as they bumped and weaved through the transitioning forest canopy. The pink arc of the Sunset Ring brightened, and Ray started to see details in the gloaming. Greenery started to dominate and the silvery reflective silk of the Darklands forest diminished as the sunlight increased.
Four hours later they rumbled through bright sunlight filtering down through the forest canopy. Progress was slow but there was no way they could use the roads as they were undoubtedly being watched by CDSE. Neither Ray nor Jonah were sure exactly where they were without the use of their comms equipment and GPS.
Jonah had an analogue map in his pack but this route through the forest was particularly featureless and hence they had no real landmarks by which to gauge their progress. The dashboard compass at least told them they were heading roughly in the right direction. The first sign that they were going the right way came in the form of the pursuit shuttles. Ray spotted them through a gap in the forest canopy, skimming the tops of the trees a few clicks east of the truck. They were travelling fast, most likely on their way back.
“If they were still looking for us they would be sweeping slowly and spread out,” Jonah surmised. “They must have given up, headed back to base.”
“Good,” Ray signed. “Shall we risk using the road?”
“I don’t think so. Too easy to watch. Best stick to the trees. Besides, the rendezvous point is well west of town, so we will have to go around eventually anyway.”
“How long have we been on the road?”
“Twelve hours,” Jonah replied. “His eyes were dark circles and his upper lids hung heavily. He was clearly exhausted. Past Jonah’s profile Ray got a glimpse of mountains burgeoning on the horizon. She recognized the familiar shape of the rounded triple cone that rose east of Atlas.
“We are close,” Ray signed and pointed out towards the distant blue hills. “Perhaps we should rest. The others are not expecting us yet in any case. Couldn’t we stop? Check on Aymes and sleep for an hour?”
Jonah looked behind at Aymes and frowned in thought.
“Ok…,” he eventually relented, “sixty minutes only. Can you check Aymes? See if you can wake her up.”
“I know what I’m doing,” Ray signed and waited until the truck rolled to a stop before she opened the door and clambered painfully down the step. Her muscles and gut had stiffened with the lack of movement she had to hold on to the truck and stretch out her legs for a minute before she could get them moving. Aymes was too heavy to move so Ray checked her in the back of the truck. She wasn’t doing well. Ray had a good deal of trouble getting her to wake and she was starting to feel feverish.
“She’s likely got metal in those wounds that needs removing,” Jonah offered. “Until she gets that done she’s not going to improve.”
Ray nodded agreement and gave her another shot of diamorph.
“She’s probably dehydrated but I don’t want to get her blood pressure up too much by giving her fluids. Otherwise those wounds might start bleeding again. Best to get her sewn up first.”
“Agreed,” Jonah offered. “She’ll just have to hang on. She’ll do it. She’s tough.”
Ray grabbed a spare blanket out of the back of the truck and spread it out in the shade of a tree. She collapsed onto it and gratefully her eyes shut before her head hit the soft synthetic fabric. She lay there letting the cool wafts of breeze take her mind off the pain in her hand. Her gut felt markedly better thank Maria. She felt Jonah lay down beside her and heard his deep sigh as he let his body relax.
Without thinking Ray reached out and took his hand. He didn’t flinch or pull away and Ray let her hand sit loosely around his. It felt like the most natural thing in the world. Ray sneaked a look at Jonah’s profile. He lay flat on his back with lips slightly parted, breathing like he was already asleep. He needed a shave and a bath and he looked haggard, but he was alive and Ray felt grateful for that.
She leaned over and planted a quick peck on his cheek and then lay back watching for a reaction. His lip curled almost imperceptibly into a smile and he signed without opening his eyes.
“What was that for?”
Ray reached over and gently took hold of his chin, turning his head towards her. He opened his eyes and looked over, his brow serious.
“Because you saved my life.” Ray shrugged in a matter of fact way.
Jonah’s eyes wandered around her face as if seeing her for the first time. He nodded and reached out, touching the worn dressing still clinging tenuously to the old wound on Ray’s forehead.
“I was feeling guilty for not coming to get you first, but it seems you are quite capable of looking after yourself.” he answered through a quiet, tired smile. “You and I shall have to do our best to survive these next few days. If I survive all this…then there is a pretty good chance you and I could end up friends.”
He was about to say something else, but Ray pulled his face down to hers and kissed him properly. He stiffened in surprise but didn’t pull back. She let him go and he rolled back onto his side, propped on one elbow.
“Friends would be nice,” Ray signed, then she smiled briefly and let her eyes drift closed. They might survive this yet. There was still hope.
CHAPTER 30
Without the truck comms or Ray’s HHI GPS they were forced to resort to Jonah’s map. When Ray figured they were within striking distance of the rendezvous location they sl
owed to a crawl, the electric motors humming quietly as the transport clambered over exposed roots and fallen branches.
Eventually, they spotted flashing up ahead as somebody in the trees directed the sun into their eyes with a reflective object. Jonah steered the truck into a dense patch of foliage and edged it in as far as it would go, partly obscuring the vehicle.
They both clambered out, struggling to get around the doors as the stiff branches of the bushes tried to keep them closed. As they rounded the transom, Nettle and Gift emerged from the trees. Nettle ran the last few paces and grabbed Ray in a hug. She held her that way for an eternity, squeezing hard enough that Ray had to tap her shoulder to get her to ease off. The pain from her aching body resonated as Nettle grimaced an apology.
“You’re hurt,” Nettle surmised, appraising Ray’s collection of bandages and dressing.
“I’ll live,” Ray responded. Gift shook Jonah’s hand and then turned to place a hand on Ray’s cheek.
“Nothing keeps you girls down does it,” Gift winked at Nettle.
Ray smiled, “How’s Mum?”
“You’ll see her soon. She’s up and about but still a little confused,” Nettle signed. “She’ll be pleased to see you.”
“We’d better move,” Jonah signed, “thermal imaging on the transports might spot us out here.”
Gift raised his eyebrows at Jonah’s proficiency with the language and nodded approvingly to Ray.
“Been busy have we?” he signed smiling wryly.
“Shut up Gift,” Ray responded feeling the first hint of a blush on her cheeks.
Gift raised his hands defensively, his eyes still smiling. Ray hoped he had not noticed the blush. If he had, she would never hear the end of it.
Nettle raised a hand and waved at the trees. A group of four Dianians, who Ray recognized vaguely, emerged from the trees bearing a folded canvas sheet. Jonah opened the back of the truck and together they lifted Aymes out and placed her as gently as possible onto the canvas. Between the four they were just able to grip the corners of the canvas sufficiently well to carry Aymes along slowly.
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