The Pike Chronicles - Books 1 - 10

by Hudson, G. P.

  “Let’s get something straight, Sallas. We are here to rescue Dr. Ellerbeck. You’re just along for the ride.”

  Sallas frowned. “I understand that, Captain.”

  “Look, this is the best course of action,” said Jon, softening his tone. “We can’t reach Calledonius on foot. We would have to cross a battlefield to do so. Once we’re up on the ship we can try and communicate with him and figure out next steps.”

  Sallas didn’t respond, but looked dejected.

  “Okay?” said Jon.

  “It doesn’t appear I have much of a choice,” said Sallas.

  “That’s the spirit,” said Jon, slapping Sallas on the back.

  Jon saw the hint of anger in Sallas’s eyes, but it quickly faded and he fell back behind Jon. They continued running at a moderate pace, allowing Sallas and Dr. Ellerbeck, who didn’t have exoskeletons, to keep up.

  “I need to look at that shoulder,” said Ellerbeck, picking up her pace to run beside Jon.

  “It’s fine for now. The symbiont is dealing with the pain.”

  “We’ll need to talk about that too.”

  “Yeah, but I don’t think now is the time.”

  “Of course not.” She became quiet for a moment, and then said, “He’s a good man you know.”

  “I’m sure he is.”

  “No, really. It’s important that he doesn’t lose this fight. He’s vital to the future of this planet. Even the future of the colonies.”

  “Don’t you think you’re a little biased, Doctor?”

  Ellerbeck smiled. “I do have feelings for him, but what he stands for is greater than that.”

  “Democracy?”

  “Freedom.”

  Freedom. Did it even exist?

  “Promise me you’ll help him, Captain.”

  “Let’s just get back up to the ship and we can talk about it. If he is as important as you say, then the best thing we can do right now is get him off this rock so he doesn’t end up dead.”

  “Yes, Captain.”

  As they neared the building Jon heard something that stopped him in his tracks. A pounding that made the pavement tremble. A mechanical whirring followed, the sound large metal joints make when they move. His stomach tightened as realization swept over him. His fears were confirmed when a giant mech stepped out onto the street in front of them.

  They froze, hoping it would keep walking. Not notice them. Wishful thinking, of course. Streets that were once bustling with activity were now barren. This fact alone made them suspicious.

  The mech took a few steps into the intersection. It easily stood twenty feet tall. It moved awkwardly, like most mechs do, giving you the impression it was unbalanced. Its massive torso stayed well behind the legs, which moved knee joints first. The knees, elbows, and shoulders were all disproportionately large and round. The Diakan designed mechs used by Space Force were sleeker, their joints smaller, yet capable of supporting an incredible amount of weight. Still, the Goliath standing in front of them looked like it could knock down buildings with its bare hands.

  Not that it would need to. It carried missile launchers on its shoulders and mammoth sized Gatling guns in its hands. It had nothing more than a stump for a head, which no doubt housed all its sensors. The cockpit would be in the chest. That’s where the operator sat. Gray camouflage paint covered the thing from head to toe.

  Any hopes that it would move on were dashed when it turned to face them. Jon tried to spot a weakness. Preferably some way to get at the person inside. He couldn’t find anything. Green light burst forth from the beast’s head, enveloping the group. A DNA scan.

  “Run,” yelled Jon. “Into the building.” They ran to the doors of the building next to them. Jon scooped up Ellerbeck and Bast grabbed Sallas. They would have no chance of outrunning the mech’s fire otherwise. Missiles blasted the entrance just as they cleared it. They kept running. Through the lobby, past a group of people now diving for cover, toward the back.

  The floor vibrated as the mech ran down the street to the building. The vibrations stopped as the mech lined up the lobby. It opened fire with its powerful Gatling guns. Gigantic rounds tore through the building, mercilessly cutting through everything in their path. The group reached the back of the building and spilled out onto the street at the same time. They kept running. Narrowly escaping the powerful ordnance bursting through the walls behind them.

  They streaked up the street, their only hope to make the extraction point before the mech. Their augmented speed the only thing saving them so far. Thankfully quick thinking and the exoskeletons allowed Kevin and Seiben to stay alive.

  The road shuddered.

  Ellerbeck screamed.

  “You ok?” asked Jon, worried that Ellerbeck might be injured.

  “Just don’t drop me!” she answered, her voice panicked.

  Jon had Ellerbeck slung over his shoulder in a fireman carry. He gripped her tighter, to make her feel more secure. “Don’t worry Doctor, you won’t be falling today.”

  “Where’s Michael? Is he ok?”

  Jon looked over at Bast who had Sallas over his shoulder. The Prime Minister had a look of sheer terror on his face, but other than that looked very much alive.

  “He’s fine.”

  They raced through an intersection. Jon looked across it and saw the mech running full out. For something that looked so awkward, it sure moved fast. Its legs ran forward, but its torso swiveled sideways to face them.

  “Shit!” said Jon.

  The Gatling guns exploded, and Ellerbeck screamed again.

  The heavy gunfire tore into the buildings around them as the mech tried to find its target. Collateral damage obviously wasn’t a concern. Then again, why would despots care about civilian loss of life?

  The mech charged after the group. They cleared the intersection, but couldn’t use the buildings for cover anymore. The mech would soon be behind them. In seconds they would all be cut down.

  “Where’s the ship?” Jon said to Bast. “Don’t they see that thing chasing us?”

  “They’re not responding.”

  “Damn it. We have to get off the street. This way,” said Jon, and ran into the nearest building.

  Inside a group of people were gathered around a large display showing multiple video feeds. In one a military man spoke. Jon wondered if he wasn’t one of the so-called Colonels now leading the coup. There was an image of Sallas, a feed of a battle raging, and another of dead civilians. The coup PR machine doing its part to instill fear in the population. If you make people scared enough they will gratefully relinquish their freedoms. The people who see through the bullshit are always the minority, easily isolated and branded as crazy, or worse.

  “Get down! Get down!” Sallas shouted at the group. Seeing their fugitive Prime Minister in a fireman carry must’ve seemed strange. Yet they listened. Each one of them dove to the trembling floor.

  This building’s architecture was different. They couldn’t exit onto the side street. A door led to a staircase. They ran up the stairs as the mech fired from the street. Bullets ripped through the walls, but the group had already cleared the floor and the mech’s line of fire. They surged up the stairs, leaping entire sections at a time. Jon and Bast still carried Ellerbeck and Sallas, but it didn’t hamper their speed.

  “Hear from the ship?” Jon asked Bast.

  “No. Still nothing,” said Bast, but not sounding concerned. “We should head for the roof. Make that the new extraction point.”

  “Agreed,” said Jon.

  They ran up the stairs of the tall building without breaking stride once. Floor after floor fell below them until they reached the door to the roof. Jon burst through onto the green surface. The roof had been turned into a garden and they were surrounded by plants and even some smaller trees. He put the Doctor down and Bast dropped Sallas.

  Jon rushed to the side of the building and peered over the ledge, down onto the street. The mech still stood there. From this height it looked
like a child’s toy. He watched a military vehicle race down the street toward the mech. It stopped in front of their building. Soldiers began pouring out of it and scurried into the building like a column of ants. The mech had called for help.

  Jon raced back to the group. “We’ve got company,” he said.

  “How many?” asked Kevin.

  “Looked like a squad. Twelve, maybe sixteen men.”

  “Armor?”

  “No. Haven’t seen much in the way of combat suits here.”

  “Yeah, we’ve been lucky.”

  “This is what you call lucky?” said Seiben.

  Jon ignored him.

  “The foliage can conceal us, while we put them in a crossfire,” said Bast.

  “Agreed,” said Jon. He looked over to Ellerbeck, Sallas, and Seiben. “Find a good place to hide where you’re out of the line of fire.”

  “I’m fighting,” said Seiben, stepping forward.

  “What are you talking about? You’re not a soldier.”

  “I didn’t do too bad back there,” he said, pointing in the direction of the military building.

  “Don’t confuse luck with skill. If you fire on the soldiers you’ll make yourself a target. If you hide with the Doctor and Sallas they won’t shoot at you.”

  “I’m not going to hide. I’m going to fight,” he said, defiantly, looking more like a little boy stomping his feet, than a middle aged family man.

  “What about your wife and kids? What do you want me to tell them? I’m sorry, Darla. He fought valiantly but didn’t make it. What do I say to your kids? Your dad was a hero? Don’t be a fucking idiot. You’ve got more to think about than just your pride.”

  Seiben’s face turned a bright red. He didn’t respond, but he also didn’t move.

  Jon grabbed his arm in a grip so tight Seiben winced. “Look, you can be pissed off at me all you want later, but right now you’re going to go with the other two, or I’ll throw you off this roof myself. Now go.” Jon gave Seiben a hard shove, but the agility of the exoskeleton prevented him from falling on his face.

  “Screw you, Jon Pike,” said Seiben.

  “No you won’t,” said Jon.

  Seiben cursed under his breath, but relented and hid with Ellerbeck and Sallas.

  Jon turned to see Kevin grinning. “What are you smiling at?”

  “Nothing, Sir.” Kevin struggled to lose the smile.

  “Take your position,” Jon barked, upset that he had to be so hard on Seiben.

  Jon took cover behind a tree. The four of them were spread out almost in a semi-circle around the door, creating an excellent crossfire. The only thing left to do now was wait.

  He lined up the door in his sights, and briefly felt sorry for the men who were going to come through. The killing zone they had setup acted like a multiplier, evening the odds, if not giving his team an advantage. Adding Seiben to the firing line would make their position even stronger, but he couldn’t bear the thought of telling Darla and his daughters that he’d been killed. Jon had to admit he liked the man, even if he was a damn pain in the ass.

  A distant hum behind him sent an icy chill down his back. He turned to see a black cloud sailing straight toward them.

  “Drones!”

  Chapter 27

  The cloud of small black drones swooped down toward the roof like one large bird. All eyes turned to the assault coming in from the sky, the rooftop erupting as they all opened fire.

  “Don’t let them swarm us,” said Jon. He pulled his trigger so fast his gun fired like a machine gun. He shot at the drones one round at a time, each round finding its mark. He worried his gun might jam. It kept up.

  The drones fell out of the sky like dying black birds. They hit the rooftop with a clang, each one adding to the pile. The team’s suppressive fire created a wall in the sky, blocking the drones’ advance.

  “There’s too many of them,” yelled Kevin, swiveling side to side as he fired at the small targets, taking full advantage of his exoskeleton’s speed.

  “Breach,” yelled Jon. A drone had punched through the wall. Kevin took it out, but that split second change in fire allowed another drone to follow.

  “Breach,” shouted Kevin.

  “Got it.” Jarvi, shot it down. He and Bast were firing into the cloud almost as fast as Jon.

  The drones continued to needle, and more drones made it through the line. The drone numbers were dropping, but their suppressive fire wall continued to be pushed back.

  “Fall back,” said Jon, trying to keep the swarm from overrunning their positions.

  “Reloading,” said Kevin, swapping out a magazine.

  The swarm pulsed.

  “Shit,” Jon cursed, trying to compensate. Another broke out. He blew it apart and focussed on the swarm. Kevin joined alongside, a new magazine in place.

  “Two more, nine o’clock,” said Kevin. Jon took them out with quick bursts.

  The swarm swelled and his firing picked up speed, pushing the bulge back.

  “Bast, three o’clock,” yelled Jon. Colonel Bast pivoted and fired, catapulting the drone out of the sky.

  The team had fallen back, and the breaches increased, but they managed to keep up. The swarm’s number was dwindling. Victory was within their grasp.

  Whoever controlled the drones must’ve come to the same conclusion, because the swarm changed tactics. It split into two smaller swarms and tried to flank the group.

  The group barely adapted. Jon and Kevin fired on the first, Bast and Jarvi the second.

  Suddenly, an unexpected stream of bullets ripped into the first swarm.

  Seiben.

  “Get down,” Jon shouted.

  Seiben didn’t listen. He stood there, exposed, firing at the drones like a madman.

  The new attack surprised the swarm. The drones stopped and hovered, as if reassessing. Seiben was no marksman, but his firing managed to knock down a few of the machines. More importantly, the hesitation gave Jon and Kevin a tactical advantage, allowing them to double down on their targets.

  That crazy old bastard, thought Jon. His stupidity actually worked. The drones compensated, shifted direction and tried to rejoin the other swarm. The move was costly. Jon and Kevin easily picked them off as they scrambled back.

  “How do you like that?” Seiben yelled at the falling machines.

  “Get your ass down,” Jon shouted, but Seiben remained standing. Perhaps he didn’t hear him, perhaps he didn’t care. Jon promised himself he would give Seiben a beating over this.

  Still, Seiben’s surprise attack helped them gain the advantage. They now focused their fire on the remaining swarm, aiding Bast and Jarvi. Out of the corner of his eye Jon could spot Seiben firing at the sky. Still standing.

  Jon heard a shot ring out from behind.

  Seiben fell.

  “Six o’clock,” Jon yelled, whipping around to see soldiers spilling through the door. He took aim and squeezed the trigger. The gun spat out a bullet into the man’s eye. He pulled the trigger again, and again. Two more down. Kevin’s fire joined in, but Bast and Jarvi remained on the drones.

  The soldiers flooded onto the roof. Jon and Kevin were forced to play catch up, trying desperately to keep them from getting a foothold.

  Several soldiers found cover and began to lay down their own suppressive fire, hampering Jon and Kevin’s efforts. More feet hit the roof. Jon pulled the trigger. Nothing.

  “Reloading,” he yelled, grabbing another magazine and slapping it into place.

  Resuming fire, he glanced back at Seiben. Doctor Ellerbeck had crawled out from her hiding position and was treating him. More soldiers ran through the door. Jon shot one in the chest and sent him reeling into the second, both falling to the ground. Two more rounds to the head finished him off for good.

  Jon ducked as a wave of bullets flew at him in response, forcing him to duck. Another team punched through the door and took cover. Bast and Jarvi were still engaging the drones. Jon sprayed bullets at the
doorway, stopping a man in the middle. Return fire forced him to duck again. More soldiers made it onto the roof.

  The storm of bullets flying over his head cleared briefly, and he noticed that Bast and Jarvi had joined the fight. That meant the drones were finally dealt with. The odds were slightly better, but the crossfire was lost. They were simply outnumbered, on a roof with no real options for mobility.

  He counted as he fired off a few more rounds at the soldiers. Eight already on the roof. Were more coming? Would there be more drones? They had no escape. These soldiers could simply keep them pinned down until reinforcements came. Soon it would be all over.

  His ears twitched as the sound of powerful engines came from above. Drones were probably the least of his worries. Energy bolts crashed into the roof. Jon covered his eyes to protect them from the blinding flash of light. This was the final nail. His body tensed and he thought of Breeah.

  He felt the heat from the energy fire, but none of it struck him. He opened his eyes to see a Chaanisar shuttle land in the middle of the rooftop garden, crushing the foliage underneath.

  Jon surged to his feet. He had to get to Seiben.

  “How bad is he?” he asked Ellerbeck.

  “Bad,” she said. “I need proper medical equipment.”

  “You’ll get it up in the ship,” said Bast, appearing beside them.

  As Jon reached down and picked up his wounded friend, Seiben said, “I saved your ass again.”

  “Yeah, you did,” said Jon.

  Seiben smiled and closed his eyes.

  Chapter 28

  Walking behind his father, Jon wondered how the man could keep going. There was no part of his own body that didn’t ache. His feet were covered in blisters, and he thought he might have torn a shoulder muscle, or two. How long had it been since he last slept? It was just before the Chaanisar attack, and even then he only slept a couple of hours. He was engulfed in darkness and envisioned himself sleeping in his bed. He winced with shame. How could he expect his father to treat him like a man when he still thought like a child? Did his father and cousins not go through the same hardships? Not one of them complained. Neither had Jon, but he wanted to. It was all he could do to keep it together. But he wouldn’t fall apart. He knew that. He would suffer in silence. However, the thought alone made him question his strength.