Starsong Chronicles: Exodus

by Clayborn, JJ

  Ryan opened and map and centered it on Huntsville, Alabama.

  “This is our objective area – the Redstone Arsenal. The EMP rifles are being built and tested by Raytheon. They have a small facility on the eastern edge of the compound,” he pointed, “here.”

  The other officers studied the map and shifted about nervously. The Colonel was talking about attacking a military base – one of their own bases. This was treason. The very thought made all of them uncomfortable. But, each of them knew it had to be done. The robot invaders had to be stopped. Periodically they would catch other’s glances and nod reassuringly to one another.

  If Colonel Ryan saw any of that, he didn’t say anything. He continued his briefing without missing a beat. “I certainly don’t want to attack the soldiers here. They are our brothers in arms and it would be a high cost for all of us.”

  Thompson spoke up. “I’m really glad to hear you say that out loud, Colonel.”

  Ryan nodded in acknowledgement. “But we can’t take no for an answer. Too much is at stake. So, the plan.” He pointed the map and his officers as he laid it out. “Ranger Hutchinson will take some of his men and a platoon of our guys in two Rigid Inflatable Boats. We’ll drop the RIBs into the water at Blackwell Run, west of the compound.”

  James studied the map. “I thought you said the Raytheon facility was on the East side?”

  “I did,” Ryan confirmed. “Once in the water, you’ll head south, connect to the Tennessee River, and then head east. At the eastern edge of the Arsenal there’s a narrow waterway that marks the edge of the compound. The Raytheon building is 2.75 miles from the River, so taking the boats in will be the fastest way to get there.”

  “The RIBs are shallow bottomed, so that will help traverse the narrow waterway,” Thompson said, “but it’ll take some time for them to get all the way around the compound. And those RIBs will make a hell of a lot of noise running up that waterway like that.”

  Ryan nodded. “Oh yes, you’re absolutely right. And that’s why we’re going to land all of the rest of the birds here, on the western side of the Arsenal,” he said, pointing to the map. “We’re going to land in these fields here, and also at the Airport, disrupting local flights.”

  “That will get their attention,” Vasquez added.

  “Exactly,” Ryan confirmed. “It will also obfuscate the drop of the RIBs into the water. What’s a couple of helicopter radar blips when you have a few dozen floating around?” The colonel grinned.

  The other officers laughed nervously.

  Ryan continued. “The warbirds will buzz the perimeter fence of the Arsenal here, along the western fence line, and the infantry will commandeer some fuel from the local airport.”

  “And then all of the Arsenal’s guards will come running to the west side, thinking that they are under attack,” James said, seeing the plan unfold.

  Colonel Ryan shook his head. “No. Not all of the guards. I’m hoping to draw most of them away. But the guards in secure areas will stay put and go on high alert. You may have to fight your way past. There’s nothing I can do about that, and it’s unfortunate. But, I can draw as many guards as possible to the other side of the compound. That will buy you some time and hopefully allow you to go undetected to the facility.”

  “I understand, Colonel,” James said, feeling the gravity of the situation.

  Ryan straightened up and looked around at his officers. “Let me be clear – I do not want to fire on the men in the Arsenal unless we have no other choice. Our men are not to fire first under any circumstances,” he looked at James, “The Ranger’s group is an exception; you do what you must.” He looked back at the rest of the men. “Any questions?”

  A chorus of no’s sounded and the officers filed out of the room. Outside of the science barracks the infantry soldiers had formed up into squads. Dr. Kosnick was standing near the door of the building, fidgeting with some small devices.

  Ryan addressed him. “Doctor, are you ready to begin the test?”

  Kosnick nodded. “As ready as we’re going to get, Colonel.” He handed a device to Vasquez and another Thompson and quickly showed them how to use it.

  James stood beside Colonel Ryan. “Do you think this will really work, Colonel?”

  The Colonel shrugged. “It better. I don’t see what other options we have. We certainly can’t go around killing everyone who we think might be an alien robot. Just look at Salem to see how well that worked out.”

  “We’re ready to begin, Colonel!” Kosnick shouted over his shoulder as they moved away from the building. The three men with devices formed a triangle and activated the devices.

  The sergeants began leading their men single file through the triangle. Squad after squad passed through with nothing happening. Many minutes passed and there wasn’t so much as a beep. The tension was palpable. Everyone hoped that the device was working, but at the same time they were terrified that it actually would beep.

  The Colonel and James came down the steps. “Is it working?” Ryan shouted over to Kosnick.

  The doctor shrugged. “Hypothetically.”

  James shrugged. “I guess you should be pleased, Ryan. This means that none of your men are alien robots.”

  The colonel gave a small laugh. As soon as he did the devices emitted a single beep. Everyone froze. A dozen armed guards ran over and formed a ring around the testers.

  “Is he a robot?” The colonel asked, pointing to the soldier who stood petrified in the middle of the triangle.

  Kosnick shook her head. “No, not him.” He waved the man out and waved another in. The devices gave another beep.

  “Him?” Ryan shouted, pointing again.

  “No,” Kosnick said waiving him through.

  The next man stepped into the ring. It beeped twice.

  “Him, then?” Ryan asked.

  “Still no, but he’s close.” Kosnick moved the line along.

  After the next person stepped into the triangle, the scanners began a series of slow, steady beeps. Kosnick angrily waved the private out and waved the next one in. Two of the guards had moved over to flank the line. They pushed the next soldier into the field.

  The devices began beeping faster, in a repeating pattern. Kosnick waived that man out and turned to stare at the next soldier. “Him,” she said.

  The soldier gave no reaction, he simply looked at the scientist. He slowly took a couple of steps forward, into the triangle and the scanners all began emitting a single solid tone.

  Kosnick nodded. “Definitely him.”

  The guards rushed in and seized the soldier, holding him off to the side. The soldier said nothing and sat quietly, watching. The rest of the soldiers finished going through and Kosnick waived Ryan and Hutchinson over.

  The devices were placed on the ground and one by one the command staff walked through the scanners with no result.

  “That’s very interesting,” the alien robot said.

  The command staff looked at the robot. It was one of the men from the 20th that had fled the Battle of New Albany with them.

  They all stared at him and he simply stared straight ahead, without emotion.

  “How do we tell if this son of a bitch is really a robot?” Ryan asked.

  “The Scanners said he was,” Kosnick offered.

  Ryan shook his head. “No, I want something more concrete than some untested experiment. I want something that we can use to test to see if the results are accurate.”

  “Isn’t his odd behavior enough?” Thompson asked.

  “Not for me. The Ranger is right, I won’t turn this into a witch hunt,” Ryan said.

  James looked around. He stepped away from the group for a moment and found a hollow metal pipe. He walked back over, examining the tool. He looked at the pipe, and then looked at the soldier. He shrugged and swung the pipe, hitting the soldier on the shin.

  A loud reverb echoed through the air and the soldier stood there, staring at James with a curious expression. “Very inte
resting,” the robot said.

  “See? That’s definitely a robot, the scanner works!” Kosnick said, backing away.

  The robot suddenly lunged forward, striking Vasquez, going after Dr. Kosnick, but the numerous guards nearby emptied their rifles into the robot while the officers scrambled. They managed to shoot it enough times to severely damage it. The rest of the robot was wheeled inside and placed with the other captive.

  “It’s time to end this,” Colonel Ryan said. “Let’s prepare.”

  Over the next 30 minutes the military forces prepared to leave. They checked their ammo and their equipment, they fueled their helicopters, inflated the boats that James and his team would ride in, and loaded the rest of the supplies.

  James was loading supplies into one of the boats when he saw Elvin walking by. “Elvin, come on!”

  Elvin came over, unsure of himself. “What do you want with me?”

  “I want you to come with me. I don’t know these other guys going on this mission. I want someone around that I’ve been through some shit together with,” James explained.

  Elvin nodded. “Alright, let me get my things,” he said as he wandered off.

  Captain Thompson showed up with a dozen soldiers in tow. “Ranger, this is Sierra Squad. They’ll be your primary strike force on this mission.” Thompson waived to a gruff, middle aged man in the front. “This is Sergeant Hicks, he’s the Squad Leader.” Thompson addressed Hicks, “And Sergeant, Ranger Hutchinson here is in charge of this mission. You follow his directives – your mission is to support him.”

  Hicks nodded. “Understood, Sir.” If Hicks had any complaints about the unorthodox chain of command for this mission, he didn’t show it. Thompson walked off as Hicks introduced the troops. Handshakes were exchanged in turn. “These are privates Petit, Caron, Reha, Caruso, Sterling, Moto, and Coy. And Corporals Katz, Taverna, Kijek, and DeVeen.” Hicks looked James in the eye. “You may have noticed that Kijek and DeVeen are women…that’s not going to be a problem, is it, Ranger?”

  James shook his head. “No, Sergeant, not at all. I’ve known plenty of capable women in my day. I’m glad to have all of you with me.”

  “Good,” Hicks said, loading his gear into the boat.

  On cue, Elvin came running up with his gear. Hicks stood and pointed. “Who’s this?”

  James calmed him. “Relax, this is Elvin Gleason. He’s part of the resistance. He’s been with me since the very first battle. He’s seen the robots fight and knows quite a bit about them. I thought it’d be good to have him along in case something happens.”

  Hicks stared at Elvin for several seconds, looking him over. “Fine, if you insist.” He turned to Elvin. “Keep down and don’t get in the way and we’ll be fine.”

  Elvin nodded. “I understand.”

  Everyone piled into the two boats and gave thumbs up to the helicopter pilots. After a few moments the rotors started to turn and the helicopter got ready to lift off. James, Elvin, and the soldiers huddled down close, their faces towards the floor, their hands gripping the rope railing of the boat as the propeller wash covered them.

  The helicopters lifted off the ground and hovered over the boats for a moment. Then the boats too were lifted into the air and the whole force headed east.

  “ETA: 20 minutes,” the pilot said over the radio in James’ ear. James thought briefly about the mission, but more of his mind was focused on those who weren’t coming with them. A small detachment of soldiers stayed behind. Lieutenant Vasquez and Dr. Kosnick were busy constructing more of the ID scanners.

  Mary also stayed behind. She used her journalism contacts to set up a broadcast. She took over some of the local airwaves, with help from her friends, and was broadcasting the story right now. She would explain what happened at Holly Springs. She would show them the metal robot they captured. Then she would lay the truth bare about the robot’s disguises. They had recorded the earlier test of the ID scanners, she would show them that and the new robot they captured – the one wearing the human skin. Then she would make allegations about specific people being robot imposters, people like Governor Smith. She would also allude to imposters being in other key offices. The report would close with instructions on how to build more scanners. He wondered about the fallout this report would have and if anyone would believe it.

  “Stand by to drop,” the pilot said over the radio.

  Shit, already? James hunkered down and grabbed the rope rail. The helicopter floated down until the boat was a few feet off of the water, but still moving.

  “Drop in three…two…one…” The metal clasps clinked open and the boat fell into the water with a splash. The helicopter turned and continued hovering around low, trying not to look obvious that they dropped something in the water. “Good luck,” the pilot said as he waved them off.

  The other boat splashed down nearby and Sergeant Hicks steered it alongside. “Ready?”

  James nodded.

  Sergeant Hicks motioned with his hands. “Due south half a mile to the river, and then fourteen and a half miles east. At top speed it will take 26 minutes to reach the waterway.”

  “Plenty of time for the Colonel to draw the troops away. Let’s go,” James said as he throttled up the boat and sped south. James glanced back over his shoulder and the soldiers on the boat were all hunkered down with their weapons pointed out in every direction, scanning everywhere for any sign of trouble. James found it kind of jarring. It was the 19th of November, the air was brisk and cold, the leaves had turned colors reflected serenely on the water. It looked so peaceful, and yet right behind him were a half-dozen soldiers who were expecting a fight to the death.

  The rest of the trip was uneventful. The Colonel had demanded radio silence from James’ group until the mission was complete. The main group would be loud and distracting as long as they needed to. The cold winter air seemed to make everything louder to James. As the boats raced along the river the engines seemed to scream. James was honestly surprised that no one had seen them yet.

  James’ boat turned into the narrow channel first. He pushed into the waterway as Sergeant Hicks followed right behind him. After a few moments of travel, James stopped. Hicks pulled up alongside as James was checking the map.

  “What’s wrong, Ranger?” Hicks asked.

  “Noise.”

  Hicks frowned. “I don’t follow.”

  James gestured at the boats. “These things are too loud. It will take 5 minutes by boat at top speed. But, our engines will be screaming and any patrols nearby will hear us. We need stealth to pull this off, not raw speed.”

  The sergeant thought it over. “I suppose you have a plan?”

  James nodded and pointed just behind them. “There’s a small cove right there. We unload everyone except one driver from each boat. The boats can then travel slowly and quietly up the waterway. The rest of us will travel the three miles by foot. At a brisk run it should take less than 30 minutes to cover that distance. 45 minutes if we run into trouble.”

  Hicks nodded. “And the RIBs can just be waiting for us when we get there, while we slip inside all quiet like.”

  “Exactly,” James said. And as soon as we have the weapons, we load them up and take off fast. I don’t care as much if they hear us as we’re leaving. The trick then is simply to outrun them.”

  “Agreed,” Hicks said, back his boat into the alcove. Corporal Katz piloted the lead boat and Private Coy drove the other one.

  The weather was cold, so James pulled a wool scarf up over his face to keep his nose warm and set out. The team moved quietly and quickly through the wooded areas alongside the water. Every now and then they would hear something and all of them would throw themselves onto the floor or behind cover while they listened tensely.

  Before long they were less than two hundred feet from the Raytheon bunker. A small two person patrol was all that stood between them and the building.

  James’ team hid behind the trees while the patrol walked past. James let out
a sigh of relief, and then to his dismay one of the guards stopped. The guard didn’t do anything except stand there for a minute. The other guard turned around and came over, exchanging some sort of words. The second guard grew concerned and animated. The first guard pulled out his pistol and shot the other guard in the head without warning.

  “What the fuck?” Hicks shouted in a whisper.

  James sighed. “They’ve found us.” He nodded to the guard in the distance. “That guard is a robot. I don’t know how they found out about this mission, but he knows what we’re after.”

  “That’s impossible,” Hicks said. “No one at camp aside from the Colonel and the other officers even knew where we were going.” He looked around at the team. “The only people who knew where we were going are right here. And we’ve all be checked by the Doctor’s doohickies.”

  Kijek stood up and looked at Elvin, her gun pointed at him. “Not all of us were checked, though.”

  Elvin made no reaction.

  “Son of a bitch, look at his breath!” Caruso said, pointing. Every one of the soldiers had a visible cloud of moisture from the cold every time they took a breath. But Elvin did not.

  “He’s a damn clanker!” Moto said, shoving his gun in Elvin’s face.

  Everything was still for a minute, and then everything happened all at once. The robot guard who had stopped began walking toward the tree line. With surprising speed, Elvin pushed the gun barrel out of his face, jumped up, spun the rifle around throwing Moto to the ground, and snatched the gun out of Moto’s hands. He quickly brought the buttstock down on Moto’s face.

  The rest of the team leapt into action. Kijek slashed out with a combat knife, driving it into Elvin’s body in very specific places.

  Elvin began leaking hydraulic fluid and looking around as his ability to move degraded.