HADRON Emergent

by Stephen Arseneault

  White Sulfur Springs had fallen, and with it Earth’s best chance of stopping the overwhelming Dedrus force. Similar battles had raged just south of Boston and at Norfolk. Both stands had failed as the enemy had been reinforced, leaving only smaller city-based militias to deal with the massive hordes approaching them. North America’s defenses were in shambles.

  Chapter 27

  *

  Mace, Jane, and Geerok returned to the now emptying HQ at Lewisburg, where they rejoined with Johnny and Jenny.

  “How’s your leg?” Mace asked Jenny.

  “Burn went deep. They gave me a shot. Hardly feeling it now, but I won’t be walking on it for a while.”

  Johnny said, “What’s next?”

  “The generals are heading to Charleston to try to regroup. I was thinking we head to the cave to check on Jasper.”

  Jane nodded. “We need some rest. I’m been fading fast.”

  Mace asked, “You think you have twenty minutes of run left in you?”

  Jane sighed. “I do. But not much more.”

  Mace scooped up Jenny. “We go to the cave for some rest. That column won’t be hard to find when we’re ready to get back in the fight.”

  Jenny reached up to her shoulder, removing the transducer for the holo-projector. “Johnny, take this. I have no use for it. It at least puts you back in fighting condition.”

  Johnny began to hold out his hand and stopped. “You sure? That leaves you visible.”

  “Take it. No sense in both of us being on the sidelines.”

  Johnny snapped the transducer in place. Flipping on the projector, he disappeared from view. When he again became visible, a grin was on his face.

  Mace gestured by swinging Jenny in the direction of the cave. “Let’s move. Every minute still counts.”

  On the roadways they passed families fleeing the oncoming invaders. As they reached the cave and passed through the holo-images surrounding it, they saw a grinning Jasper Collins sitting on the gift shop porch, rocking back and forth in his favorite chair.

  “Thanks for keeping me informed.”

  Mace replied, “We couldn’t use the comm without giving up our locations.”

  Johnny said, “I opened a comm when that last fighter craft went down. He knows what we know.”

  Mace set Jenny on the steps. “Sorry we couldn’t talk sooner. Have you heard anything from anyone else?”

  Jasper shook his head. “Nope. We’re stuck on this planet with those goons. I would have joined you, but I didn’t know where you were, and didn’t want to risk giving away my location.”

  Mace sat on the wood floorboards beside him. “We could have used your help, but I don’t think it would have mattered. There are too many of them. This is gonna turn into a guerilla war. That’s the only way we can fight them. And I don’t place our chances of prevailing being good. They have bio sensors that tell them right where every man is. I don’t know why they’ve been fighting the way they have been, but they’re adapting as they go. Their suits and their weapons are superior. Just wish I knew what their current goals were.”

  Johnny said, “If they start hunting Humans, we’re all in trouble. The generals are having a hard time bringing a big fighting force together. Everyone wants to stay put and protect their own.”

  Jane said, “Maybe this defeat will be a wake-up call.”

  “I doubt it,” replied Jenny. “I mean, think about it. We lost 85 percent of our population to starvation. Probably half of our military forces. Of those, a large portion has been killed in all the fights we’ve been involved with. I would bet we have as few as a hundred thousand trained military left. The rest are those who have joined their local militias. Spread those troops out over a thousand cities and you can see how thin the numbers become. Even if we could get the word out, I doubt we could raise a fifty thousand man army to fight in one place. Heck, most of our people are focused on farming right now just to keep their families fed.”

  Mace said, “If we want to have a chance we have to come up with a new strategy. We need something that will not only stop them but drive them back.”

  Mace stood. “Wait… you made contact with Jasper while he was here?”

  Johnny nodded. “Yeah, that last fighter went down. We should be in the clear.”

  Mace shook his head. “Those ground troops have sensors. When you made contact, they may have pegged this location as the receiving end of that comm.”

  Johnny took a deep breath. “OK, I screwed up. Hang out here. I’ll go up the road to see where that column is heading. If it’s toward Charleston we should be good. Give me twenty minutes, but be prepared to move if needed.”

  Johnny stepped of the porch and sprinted toward the town of Caldwell, returning only minutes later. “Several thousand of them just up the road! We have maybe a minute!”

  Mace picked Jenny up.

  After looking toward the cave, he said, “We make our stand here. With those projectors, hopefully they just pass us by. Jenny, I’ll drop you in the cave. Jasper, you come with her. Put yourselves in position to defend that entrance. Johnny, Jane, Geerok, head out and meet those fighters. Do what you can to stop them and lead them away. I’ll be right with you.”

  Mace hopped off the porch, carrying Jenny Taub to the cave mouth. “Leave yourself an out in there. You have a map of those caverns. Make sure you give yourself a chance to use them if needed.”

  Jasper was standing beside her. “We got this covered. Go help the others.”

  Mace looked Jenny in the eye, winked and turned toward Johnny, Jane, and Geerok. As he arrived, Dedrus soldiers were taking the brunt of the initial defense. Laser pulses sizzled past, aimed in the direction from where the concussion waves were originating. Jane was the first to turn and run, a tree behind her splitting apart in flame as a Dedrus laser blast struck it dead center.

  Mace dropped into a creek bed beside Geerok as Johnny ran after his wife.

  Geerok said, “Never a dull moment with you, Mr. Hardy.”

  Mace fired several rounds from his thunder glove. “Glad I could keep you entertained, Admiral.”

  Geerok replied, “I want to thank you… for opening my eyes to what living life really means. You Humans are sometimes difficult to follow. Your motivations are complex. My life as a Mawga was always simple—eat, drink, and don’t piss off those above you. Following that plan with only a few timely decisions landed me in that admiralty. But I was never alive. My emotions have always been muted, as living only required minimal effort and thought.”

  Mace huffed, “I’d trade this life for that right about now. No big worries, threats that were minimal… that sounds like paradise to me. I guess just about any life where I’m not ducking laser pulses would be preferred.”

  Geerok chuckled. “Not for me. This is living we are doing right here and right now. I wouldn’t trade all the wealth on Rhombia for this.”

  Mace replied with a half smile. “You’re a nutcase, Mr. Geerok.”

  Two dozen Dedrus rushed in their direction, firing blindly. Mace fired from the ditch as Fatso Geerok stood. One by one the Dedrus soldiers flew backward as their bodies were struck by the output of a thunder glove.

  As the last of the attacking group fell, Mace stood up from his squatted position. “We should fall back. Another rush like that and we’re finished.”

  Geerok looked toward his left, firing his glove as he stepped in front of Mace.

  A stream of smoke rose from the front of Fatso Geerok’s battlesuit. He collapsed and Mace grabbed his right arm. A laser bolt had knocked out his holo-projector. A second pulse had penetrated his chest plate.

  The Mawga admiral looked up. “It has been an honor, Mr. Hardy. I feel my debt to Humans has been paid. See to it that it wasn’t for naught.”

  The chubby Mawga commander slumped over. A dozen Dedrus ran through the woods in their direction. Mace stepped back, crouching in the ditch, still hidden by his holo-projector.

  One of the Dedrus said,
“Collect him. Bring him to the science officer.”

  Mace opened up, sending two soldiers at a time flipping backward. A rush of several dozen more came his way, forcing the Army Ranger to leave his fallen comrade. Another thousand soldiers could be seen coming down the roadway. Mace turned, running backward down the creek bed before turning toward the cave, firing as he ran.

  As he sprinted through the yards of the homes along the roadway in front of the cave, each burst into flame as a hundred laser pulses impacted their northeast-facing sides.

  Mace could hear Jane yelling, “Tell me you’re out there, Mace Hardy!”

  “I’m here! Go to the cave! We make our stand there!”

  With their final retreat, they entered the outer holo-projection that shielded Jeff Moskowitz’ lab from the outer world. Seconds later the gift shop came into view. Their holo-projectors were switched off as they reached the cave entrance.

  A smoking Blackhawk helicopter came in low over the trees, landing hard and flipping up on its side as it came to a rest, its blades fracturing and flying off in different directions. A redheaded woman with a child was the first to appear. Next, Malcom Stark pulled himself up. Nursing his injuries, he did his best to help the woman and child to the ground. George Stanislaw was the last to climb up.

  Mace met them at the edge of the field. “What are you doing here?”

  Stark replied, “We seek shelter. Boston has been sacked and burned. We barely escaped.”

  Stanislaw said, “Take us into the cave. The roadway is crawling with Dedrus.”

  Mace gestured toward the cave entrance as he reached out to help the injured Malcom Stark. “Go. We only have seconds.”

  As they neared the cave entrance, Mace came to a sudden realization, stopping only meters from its entrance.

  Jasper Collins stood in defiance. “That puke is not coming into my cave!”

  Mace said, “You… I know who you are now. You three and the boy. You were in a vehicle going into Caldwell just after the raid here from the marauders, back when this all began.”

  Malcom Stark returned an uncomfortable look.

  Mace said, “It was you… you slaughtered all those people fleeing from Union and down in Peterstown. You’d have killed us if the National Guard hadn’t shown up. I know it’s you… I remember the description of the four of you in a van!”

  George Stanislaw pulled a .45 from his waist, holding it up to the open faceshield on Mace’s helmet. “You would have done better to forget about that, Mr. Hardy. Now, we’re going to move inside, and you’re going to take off that battlesuit. In fact, you’re all going to do the same. And hurry, we don’t have much time.”

  Malcom Stark pulled his own .45, aiming it at the chest of Stanislaw as he pushed his wife and child behind himself. “No, George. You are going to drop your weapon. This has gone on too far for too long. We’ve wronged these people enough.”

  George slowly turned to face Stark as he brought his weapon down toward his side. “You’re right, Malcom. It has gone far enough.”

  George Stanislaw quickly stepped to his side, raising his weapon, firing into Malcom Stark’s chest before he could squeeze off a round of his own. Jasper Collins didn’t hesitate. A blast from his thunder glove sent a bent and twisting George Stanislaw five meters backward, his body wrapping around a small tree, his back snapped.

  Jasper turned his glove toward Malcom Stark. “Your time has finally come, scumbag.”

  Mace stepped in front of him. “Not here and now, Mr. Collins. Johnny, Jane, let’s help them into the cave.”

  Malcom Stark held up a hand. “Leave me. Just take my wife and son. They are innocent in all this.”

  Mace reached down, helping Stark to his feet. “You can plead your case when we’re inside.”

  Jenny looked past the gift shop. “This can’t be good.”

  Jane glanced back as she moved into the cave. “Where’s Geerok?”

  Mace slowly shook his head. “He went out exactly as he wanted. Fighting. Took a laser bolt to the chest. I couldn’t stop them from taking his body.”

  Johnny made the sign of a cross from his forehead down across his chest.

  “Thought you didn’t believe in any of that,” said Mace.

  “You ever know of a better time to start?”

  Jane followed with the same.

  Mace asked, “You too?”

  “I’m going wherever he’s going.”

  Jenny stepped up beside the others, making the same sign. Mace glanced over at Jasper Collins.

  Jasper said, “Don’t look at me. I’m Jewish.”

  Johnny chuckled. “Jewish? When did that happen?”

  “I believe my parents once told me that it happened at birth. Now move away from that entrance or you’re gonna be able to ask them in person. One of those thugs just stepped up on my porch.”

  Jasper yelled, “Oh no you don’t!”

  He stepped into the entrance of the cave, firing off several rounds from his thunder glove as a Dedrus fighter was about to sit in his rocker. The chair splintered and the trespassing soldier flew backward off the porch. A dozen laser pulses impacted the rock walls around the mouth of the cave. Mace grabbed Jasper by the shoulder, pulling him back.

  The mouth of the cave was soon surrounded with Dedrus fighters. The rock walls glowed red and cracked as repeated laser pulses found their mark. Mace ordered the others to the back as he and Johnny flooded the area just outside with concussion waves. Screams came from bent and twisted Dedrus bodies. Yet the invaders moved ever closer.

  Mace said, “Get ready to run. Take everyone back through the caverns to the furthest exit. If I’m not there in two minutes, all of you have to leave.”

  Johnny gestured up toward the only bit of sky they could see.

  “More fireballs! Can it get any worse?”

  Mace said, “It still could be good news. Maybe Crawford survived.”

  The first of the ships slowed.

  Johnny frowned. “Dedrus warship. And it’s headed this way.”

  Mace stood, pulling on Johnny’s shoulder. “Come on, we can still get away. They can’t scan us with these suits.”

  A laser bolt glanced Mace’s shoulder. The smell of burnt flesh filled the air as Mace fell to a knee.

  Johnny said, “Come on, we have to go. They can see Stark, his wife and kid.”

  Mace replied, “We take them to the exit. He saved my life back there. I owe him at least that.”

  The two joined the others at the back of the cave. They headed through the myriad of passages that led deeper into the underground structure and toward an exit. The ground began to shake as it became evident that heavy weapons had joined the fight. Loose rocks fell from the ceiling as the group reached the far exit. Mace was the first to climb a ladder to a higher space.

  As they emerged from the cave exit, Mace looked at an ailing Stark. “This is as far we take you. They’ll be able to see you and your family. You can’t stay with us.”

  Stark grabbed Mace by the forearm. “I’m truly sorry for all I’ve done. When George first started our group I was enamored with his leadership and his ability to convince others to follow him. That leadership quickly devolved into his evil acts of murder and pillaging. He held my wife and son close, keeping me from challenging his orders. After our defeat here, I was ready to leave him. But he convinced me to stay on for the fight against the Mawga. I was a fool, and all of Earth has paid the price.”

  “Who knows how it would all have worked out. Had he not taken charge we might all be speaking Mawga and fighting the Karthians right now. Anyway, with that act back there, you and I are square. Stanislaw got just what he deserved.”

  Stark pulled hard on Mace’s arm while looking down at his bleeding chest. “Do what you can for my wife and boy. My travels stop here. You’re a good man, Mace Hardy. I only wish I had met you and your team first.”

  Stark clutched his chest with his free hand, grabbing his wife’s hand with his other, befor
e slumping over.

  Johnny was the first to glance up as a shadow came over them. A Dedrus warship stopped, hovering only a half kilometer above, blocking out the sun and sending a chill over the fleeing defenders.

  The great warship dropped closer. A long ramp lowered to the ground just in front of them. Standing at the top was the smiling face of Jordan Crawford.

  Mace flipped off his holo-projector and removed his helmet as he walked up the ramp, meeting Jordan Crawford halfway down. “How? Those other Dedrus troops? Where’d they come from?”

  Jordan replied, “We only captured this ship a few days ago. We destroyed the rest of them, but not before they left with that bulk of transports filled and ready. Sorry I couldn’t get here sooner. We just fought a fierce battle up above against the last of their cruisers. They dropped in those transports before we could stop them.”

  Johnny asked, “All those fireballs… you have that many warships?”

  Jordan shook his head. “Only this one. Those are transports we captured. They’re full of Targarians armed with holo-suits and thunder gloves. Three hundred thousand of Mr. Collins’ people volunteered their service.”

  Jasper let out a hoot. “That’s my boys!”

  “The Dedrus won’t last long,” said Jordan. “I have the chief of their armed forced aboard. They’re getting word to stop all hostilities immediately. The Dedrus empire has surrendered. It is now a holding of the Targarian Kingdom under King Jasper Collins. As is Earth. I’m sure we can negotiate our freedom and a peaceful coexistence. What say you, Mr. Collins?”

  Jasper grinned. “I think we could work that out.”

  Jordan looked over at the cave entrance. “You have Stark?”

  “Stark is dead. You have a med crew?”

  Jordan opened a comm. A team rushed down the ramp to the injured leader of the Human resistance. All were helped up into the great Dedrus warship by a team of Targarians. Mace stopped to glance back down at the body of his prior nemesis lying on the ground. Johnny stopped by his side, placing his hand on Mace’s uninjured shoulder.