Penton shrugged. “Yeah, sometimes.”
“What about the rest of the time?”
“Well, I fly in and shoot the aircraft machinegun.”
“Decimate the cities yourself?”
“Exactly.”
Penton looked down at the girl. “Who’s this?”
“This is Maki,” Kate replied. “She needs our help.”
“Well, you came to the right folks,” Penton said to the girl. He tapped the Marine Corps logo on his name-patch.
Her sullen face lit up for a moment. Then trepidation registered in her eyes.
Penton glanced over his shoulder and felt the ground tremble, catching sight of the massive creature.
Penton couldn’t reconcile the creature before him with what he’d seen on screen. The beast stood as tall as the buildings and its girth encompassed an entire side street. Scales covered the creature like plates of armor. Razor sharp talons protruded into immense claws, crimping the pavement with each thunderous step.
A knowing gleam twinkled in its yellow eyes. The beast turned its head toward the Osprey, rotors spinning in mechanical grunts.
The beast let out a roar, peeved at the grating aircraft. Spittle doused the windshield, street, and sidewalks. Observing the creature on a screen in the command center hadn’t prepared Penton for the real thing. Terror shot through every fiber of his being. He shook it off and glanced at the pilot.
Simmons motioned for them to make a break toward the aircraft.
The creature took another step forward, cutting off their path. Penton calculated the distance. He knew the creature would intercept them before boarding the aircraft, or knock the Osprey from the sky upon takeoff.
Penton shook his head. It was too close for comfort.
He waved off the pilot, and shouldered his rifle.
The Osprey lifted off and hovered above the ground. Penton launched the M203 high-explosive cartridge. A whoosh hummed through the air toward the creature’s neck. The round erupted on its chin, followed by a salvo of M-16 semi-automatic rifle fire.
The creature roared and stomped, confused, as flames burst in front of its eyes, obscuring its vision. With the beast distracted, Simmons got the Osprey into the sky, launching vertically until it rose above the buildings.
Then, the aircraft came around and the crew chief riddled the beast with .50 caliber rounds from the Browning.
“Let’s move!” Penton said, slinging the rifle over a shoulder.
“Where to?” Kate said, stepping towards him.
“This way.” Penton motioned with his chin and ran toward the building that Kate had just exited.
“Afraid you’d say that.” She limped after him, holding Maki’s hand tightly.
“The building’s not safe,” Maki muttered. “Kaiju destroyed it.”
“It’s all we have right now,” Kate huffed for breath.
Penton shouldered the rifle and kicked the metal door open. He scanned the landing and glanced up the stairwell as far as he could see, searching for looters. “Clear!” he yelled.
Kate hobbled past him and ascended the stairs, while Penton held the rifle steady with the barrel pointed over her shoulder. Maki padded up the stairs behind her.
Reaching the next level, Kate instinctively stepped to the side and allowed Penton to swing the door open. He performed another hasty scan, then waved for them to enter the hallway.
“Which way from here?” Kate said.
Penton had already hustled down the corridor, instinctively tracing his way to the back of the building and away from the creature out front. He moved swiftly, not expecting to encounter hostiles, but proceeded cautiously enough to engage if necessary.
At the end of the hall, he found the corridor turned to the right. An exit sign was located partway down. Penton made for the stairwell with Kate and Maki trailing behind. Maki’s rain boots slogged on the carpet and her knapsack slapped against her back, a thwacking sound emanated from her slicker.
He pushed the door open and checked the landing, then glanced up and down the staircase. “All clear!”
Kate entered the doorway and traipsed past him.
Just as Maki’s boots squeaked on the concrete landing, Penton noticed movement out of the corner of his eye. Down the hallway, two men stepped from an office carrying computers. They must not have heard the new arrivals because both men looked up in shock at Penton, holding the M-16 pointed at them.
They stopped in their tracks, gripping the computers tightly.
Square-jawed and young, the men wore designer jeans and leather motorcycle jackets. They didn’t look Japanese, and were clearly looting the building. Penton did not have the time or inclination to intervene and police the situation. He shook his head, as if indicating they could go on their way.
Both men looked relieved.
Penton nodded a good-bye, then started for the stairwell.
Another man stepped from the room down the hall. He didn’t carry computers, but held an Uzi 9mm machine-pistol in his hand. Registering the situation, a sardonic grin crossed his face.
Then, he raised the machine-pistol and opened fire.
Bullets ripped down the hallway, digging into drywall and ricocheting off metal and concrete block. Penton stepped through the threshold just in time to avoid getting hit from the staccato of automatic weapon fire.
“Go!” Penton yelled down the stairs to Kate.
She’d already made it to the first landing and busted out a door.
The blasting Uzi let up. Penton heard plastic clatter on the floor then footsteps hurried down the hallway after him. He pulled out his sidearm and reached around the doorjamb, firing three shots in the direction of the pursuers.
A man cried out in agony and dropped to the floor hard.
The Uzi ripped a few more wild shots, followed by the sound of a door slamming shut. Penton poked his head out and glanced down the hall. A man lay on the floor clutching his leg. His confederates were nowhere to be seen.
Lights flickered in the building, followed by a shockwave rippling through the floor, and the distinctive sound of concrete fracturing. Chunks of the building broke loose and dropped to the street below. Then, a menacing roar echoed throughout the shattered building. The structure wouldn’t hold together much longer.
Penton holstered the pistol and descended the stairs, two at a time. He pushed through a door at the bottom and found himself in a narrow alley. The area was illuminated by an emergency spotlight.
A motorcycle and a sports car were parked in the alleyway. He checked the ignitions of each vehicle. Both were empty. No keys.
He reached for his fighting knife, strapped upside-down over the left side of his chest. Penton punctured the rear tire on the motorcycle and the front tires of the car. Then, he started down the alley after Kate.
Penton made it past the hood of the car when a blow knocked him to the ground.
His communication link broke on the pavement. He scrambled to get to his feet, and a designer boot struck him in the ribs.
A shot whizzed by his head. He rolled to the right and reached for the K-bar.
Penton jumped up and swung the fighting knife around, clutching the leather handle in a fist, with the sharp edge pointed away from him.
The attacker stumbled forward, and the knife cut into the man’s neck, cleaving it open. Blood gurgled from his throat and the man collapsed to his knees, reaching for the wound in vain.
A pistol clattered onto the pavement.
Penton reached for the weapon lying on the deck. He identified the QSZ-92 immediately as a Chinese military issue semi-automatic weapon.
Kate sauntered up the alley, shaking her head. The dead man hadn’t come out the back hatch. “Must have been a lookout,” Penton said. He wiped his blade on the man’s silk shirt, then sheathed the K-bar. Penton studied the man’s face. He clearly wasn’t one of the thugs Penton had encountered in the hallway.
“I’d say more like a wheelman.” Kate pointe
d at the car.
“What?” Penton stammered.
The far door was flung wide-open.
“He was inside the car?”
“Yup. And he got the drop on you.”
Penton shook his head. “Can’t believe I missed that.”
“Nice work, Rambo,” Kate said, laughing.
“Rambo was Army.” Penton smiled. “Don’t confuse me with him.”
Another roar let loose and the foundation shook.
“We’ve got to move,” Kate said. “Not sure this area is safe.”
“No kidding.” Penton hustled down the alley.
****
Penton turned down a side street and jogged away from the decimated building. Kate and Maki plodded after him. He held the M-16 by the pistol grip, with the barrel pointed upward.
Looking back to check on the others, Kate limped along, and Maki churned her stout legs, pitter-pattering to keep up.
“You need any help?” Penton called to Kate.
“Faster if I limp along,” she replied, panting for breath.
“What about her?” Penton said.
“She’s going as fast as I can go… so we’re all set.”
They turned another corner and Penton slowed to a brisk walk. Kate and Maki ambled up beside him.
“My communications link is busted,” Penton said.
Kate shook her head. “So, we can’t get in touch with the flight crew on the Osprey. What are we going to do?”
“Your generation of warriors are always stuck on being in contact with command.” Penton laughed. “When I was a lance corporal, they’d send out an ad hoc patrol without any radios, no helmets or body armor. Just a war-belt and a rifle. And the leader of the patrol was usually a twenty year old… lance corporal or corporal.”
“You’re hard Corps,” Kate laughed.
“We’ll figure this out.”
“I know… ‘Improvise, adapt, and overcome.’”
“Exactly,” Penton said, pressing ahead.
Just as his boot smacked the ground, the pavement rumbled, and a fierce explosion erupted behind them. Only the blast wasn’t from ordnance but rather the building behind them giving way.
Penton looked over his shoulder. The top of the building dropped and clouds of dust billowed up.
The ground vibrated.
Pavement surged in a wave.
Knocking them down.
Strewn on the crumbled street, dust rolled away from the building. Thunderous steps plodded toward them, shaking the ground.
“Run!” Penton screamed.
A puzzled look crossed Kate’s face, but she scrambled to her feet, pulling Maki from the asphalt.
“What’s going on?” Maki said, trotting after her.
“The building is falling,” Kate replied.
“That’s not all—” Penton halted.
Chunks of debris tumbled to the ground from the falling structure, and concrete broke loose on a nearby building.
“Keep going!” Penton yelled, turning around.
A colossal head snaked out of the smoky side street, wavering above the ground on a long neck. The falling building got hung up on an adjacent tower. Massive jaws snatched open and lunged at him. Saliva whipped through the air.
Penton tumbled backward and landed on his rear.
Gigantic teeth snapped shut, a near miss. The beast snarled and then jerked its head back, sniffed the air, and eyeballed him for a moment.
Another deafening stomp moved the beast closer. The Kaiju lashed out again.
The beast moved in for the kill, sinister yellow eyes, with its teeth bared, ravenous for the taste of blood and flesh.
Penton shouldered his rifle.
Giant muzzle and sharp teeth advanced.
He fired the M203 grenade canister.
The cartridge launched toward the predator, striking a heaving nostril, and exploded into flames. Shaking its head and exhaling, the creature snuffed out the blaze. A menacing roar followed, hitting Penton like a gale wind.
Then it took another step forward, moving its haunches through the side street. A haunch rubbed the tottering building and a high-pitched grind resounded from the towers. This time, it really began to collapse. Like watching contractors demolish an office building, except charges are set to implode the structure. An eerie creak emanated through the city streets, then the damn thing toppled toward them.
An office building stood alongside the structure the creature had assaulted. It was twelve stories tall, shorter than the falling building. The larger edifice collapsed and crumbled onto the smaller one, breaking through the roof, and dislodging chunks of concrete and shattering glass.
Debris rained on the street below, crushing down on the creature’s back, knocking the beast to the ground. Penton clambered to his feet and bolted after Kate and the girl. He caught up to them and paused long enough to scoop Maki into a fireman’s carry, then he raced away from the fallout.
****
Later, Penton slowed his gait and put Maki down. Kate gimped along, but kept pace with the ordnance chief and young girl. Rounding a corner, they put another building between them and the destruction.
“What now?” Kate asked.
Penton liked her spunk. “Give me a moment.”
“The creature won’t stay occupied in the rubble for very long.”
He nodded in agreement, then glanced around, thinking.
The area had been evacuated at the start of the crisis. Penton took in the surroundings through the overcast conditions and emergency lighting emanating from some of the surrounding buildings. Parked cars lined both sides of the street.
He checked the vehicles. Some were owned by office workers, and others appeared to be people visiting downtown with shopping bags in their cars.
“I bet when the shit hit the fan,” Penton said, “the streets were jam-packed.”
Kate shrugged. “Probably… but why does that matter?”
“They took off in a hurry, unable to drive out of here.”
“So?” Kate said, shrugging.
“You need to get some urban warfare training.”
They both laughed.
Penton peeked into a few cars then broke a window. He reached inside and grabbed a cellphone. “See,” he said, showing her the phone.
“How did you know?” said Kate.
“Easy, people get in a hurry, and forget things in the car,” Penton said. “They rush off and forget their phone, or they misplace it. When things got dicey, this person didn’t have time to gather everything.”
“So, what are you going to do?”
“I’m going to call the main number at the airbase and have them put me in touch with the colonel.”
“Good luck with that,” Kate said.
Penton tried getting through to the command center, but the various safety protocols that duty Marines follow didn’t allow him to reach anyone right away. Finally, he hung up the phone in frustration.
“Told you so,” Kate said, smirking.
“Let’s see if this works,” Penton said, trying to recall Top Anderson’s phone number. He shook his head.
“What is it?” Kate asked.
“A problem with all of this technology and speed dial,” Penton replied. “You can’t even remember your buddy’s phone number.”
“Yeah, I know… you used to have twenty phone numbers memorized.”
“Pretty much,” Penton said, trying a number he hoped worked.
The phone rang for a bit. “He’s probably dozed off.”
“I’d be in bed by now if I weren’t on duty.”
The call went to voicemail, but it was Anderson’s voice on the other end. At least Penton remembered the correct number. He left a message, then hung up.
“Well, you got the right number at least,” Kate said.
“I was thinking the same thing. Hope he checks messages before morning.”
“So, we’re going to have to come up with something else.”
Penton nodded. He took a moment to reload his grenade launcher. Then, he scanned the street looking for the best place to go. Dust had filtered past the demolished buildings and floated over a few city blocks to where they stood. It covered his boots and clung to his flight suit.
A roar emanated from around the corner, and the ground shook. The beast was afoot.
“This way,” Penton said, pointing to a narrow alley across the street.
Twenty-Six
Hardy checked his watch. The extraction team would be there shortly. He tapped Stiles on the shoulder. “Come on,” Hardy said. “I’ve got an idea.”
They went back into the warehouse, and Hardy opened the big doors at the far end of the building. Then, he walked over to the trailer holding the Tochka missile and motioned for Stiles to join him.
“We’re going to push this thing outside.” Hardy pointed toward the back doors.
“What the hell for?” Stiles griped, shaking his head.
“My guess…” Hardy adjusted the sling to his MP-5. “From what I’ve been told, which is very little, the Brass want to take this thing. An acquisition of sorts.”
“You mean steal it?” Stiles shook his head again.
Hardy shrugged. “Sure, I mean steal it.”
Stiles sneered. “We had orders to dismantle this thing from any potential use, and now they want to abscond with the damn thing. The entire proposition is dangerous.”
Hardy looked at the younger sailor. “We’re hired guns… that’s it.”
“They could be violating a treaty.” Stiles took a deep breath. “We’re not supposed to follow unlawful orders.”
“I know,” Hardy agreed. “And it’s our asses if something goes wrong.” He looked Stiles over sternly.
“So… what then?” Stiles demanded an honest answer.
“Dismantling the missile,” Hardy explained, “or turning it over to our own government… it’s the same thing to us. We’re not putting it to use, so we wouldn’t be involved in violating a nuclear treaty. This is for the Brass to figure out. For all we know, they just want to make sure no one can ever use it.”
“That’s bullshit and you know it.”
“But a treaty isn’t violated just because we take it.”
“Agreed,” Stiles barked.
“Okay, then help me move the damn thing outside.”
Pacific Rising Page 16
