"Yes they are," added Taylor, "Bolormaa is taking her revenge. She is going for maximum panic and fear. Terrorising the world and breaking down our entire way of life."
"Why, Colonel?"
"I still don't know what motive she has, but you can see what she’s doing. She could bombard this city into dust without even putting troops on the ground, but she wants us to suffer. She wants us to be split apart and hunted down. Not a quick death."
"It'll be quick enough if this keeps up," added Jones
"No, even with everything they have deployed, ground forces will soon begin to slow their progression."
"Then you think we can hold them?"
"No, General, but we can slow their advance enough that this will become the meat grinder that is of her making."
"That'll cost her millions, if not billions of lives of her own troops."
"Yes, and as many more of our own. She doesn't care about her people. That much is obvious. She is in this for herself and her sons, and that's it."
"That's a whole lot of speculation."
Taylor gritted his teeth but had to agree with Jones.
"Yeah, well if the facts fit," he added.
He still didn't understand her at all. She was an enigma. The Krys were clear in their desire to conquer Earth and kill humanity, and yet it all seemed like a game to Bolormaa.
“When things became this bad you once left Earth so that you could come back one day. Stronger and prepared for what you had to face,” said Greer.
Taylor thought back to Kelly, the Lunar Colony Commander who had made his stand on Earth.
“Yes, and we left a lot behind who kept on fighting. Maybe if we had stayed and fought with them we might have saved more of their lives.”
“We both know that’s not true. If you hadn’t have left, you would never have found the Aranui, and you would never have freed this world.”
“Maybe not, but that is not the case this time around.”
“How do you figure that?”
“Earth seems to me a whole more to every race than it ever did back then. I am still not sure of Bolormaa’s intentions or goals, but I get that she appreciates the importance of this world as much as the rest of us. It is the paradise that every race seeks, or they think it is at least, and that is what matters.”
“But why?”
“I’m not sure, but while every side will fight bitterly to seize control, none will risk damaging the fabric of the world.”
“Didn’t the Krys once try and destroy Earth with some kind of doomsday weapon?”
Taylor grimaced and sighed.
“I think the Colonel is really on to something, Sir.”
“And how would you know that, Captain?”
“I have studied our history thoroughly, more so than you can imagine. The Krys Lord who made that attempt, he was alone in doing so. He had no support from the rest of his people. He was embittered by the fact that he could not bear the Colonel and the rest who defended Earth.”
“Isn’t Bolormaa exactly the same?”
“No,” replied Taylor, “She is much smarter. And as terrifying a prospect as that might be, we may yet just be able to use it to our advantage.”
“Colonel, you are expecting one hell of a leap of faith here. By your own admission, you don’t know what Bolormaa’s intentions or goals are, and yet you want to gamble and speculate on this large a scale?”
“Sorry, Sir, but I just don’t see it as that much of a gamble. There are billions of civilians on Earth depending on us, and there is nowhere we can run that they won’t find us. We can die on the run, or we can fight for all those lives here, and just maybe make a difference.”
“And when the next fleet arrives?”
“If they are not willing to ruin this world, then they will have to fight the war on the ground. We can manage without the fleet for defence. They can withdraw to a safe distance and work as a rapid reaction force.”
“In theory all that could work, but I don’t have the authority to do so. My orders are to hold Washington and New York and the surrounding areas.”
“And who is in charge?”
She looked lost as she racked her brains for an answer.
“Seems to me that right now the job might fall into your hands.”
But an idea seemed to leap into her head as her eyes lit up.
“There is someone. Lisa Caron!”
“Who?”
“She is fifth in line to the Presidency of the Alliance.”
“And she’s alive? Why didn’t you mention her before?”
“It passed my mind that she was even in the area. I heard on the news just before this all began that she was visiting a children’s hospital north of DC. She’s on the campaign trail for the US Presidency.”
“What makes you think she is still alive?” Jones asked.
“Her arrival was unscheduled. It was a surprise to everyone, one of those goodwill gestures that politicians like to pull. I would say there is a solid chance that she wasn’t targeted.”
Taylor stopped to think for a moment. There was so much to process.
“You thinking what I am thinking?”
“The loss of the President is a massive blow, Jones. We need someone who can fill that hole, and I’ll be damned if it’s gonna be me!”
“Why? You could be just what is needed,” said Greer.
“No way, General. I’d only screw it up, and I am needed to fight, anyway.”
She opened her mouth to protest but could see the disapproving looks on both of their faces, so she stayed silent.
“This Lisa Caron,” began Taylor, “Give me your honest opinion. No bullshit, no holes barred. Would she be up to the job?”
“Yes, I am certain of it. She can be a brash and obnoxious force at times, but she is a go-getter. I would have voted for her.”
“Then that’s enough for me. If she was at the hospital when all this began, where would she be now?”
“Normally a VIP like that would be escorted immediately to the nearest fallout shelter, but we can only hope she didn’t make it.”
“Why?’
“Because it’s not there anymore. It was one of the first targets hit.”
“And if she couldn’t make it there?”
“Hunker down in the safest place possible and wait for help.”
“There’s a good chance she’s hold up at that hospital or nearby,” added Jones
“That’s all very well, but we have enough on our hands here. She can wait until things settle down,” snapped Greer.
Taylor pointed out towards the sound of gunfire a few blocks away.
“You think they are gonna settle down anytime soon?”
Greer gritted her teeth, realising they weren’t going anywhere.
“I’ll get to Caron.”
“What? We need you here. Without your people, we may not even survive the night.” She pointed towards the sky to show that the sun was falling fast now.
“I hear you. I’m taking this platoon and that’s it. The rest of my Regiment and those elements supporting us will stay here and keep fighting.”
“You go out there alone, and they could target you, too. They are going after all the high profile targets they can, Colonel.”
“No, Bolormaa doesn’t want me dead, not yet, anyway. She’d rather let me witness every bit of death and devastation she can rain down before I get my turn.”
“She is that sadistic and hateful?”
“Wouldn’t you be if a human made you bleed when you believed you were a god?”
“Maybe, but that assumes she’s calling all the shots. A leader like her can’t micromanage anything. You go out there with just a few troops, and we could lose you, too.”
“And if we risk nothing, we gain nothing. You can’t stop me.”
She was clearly accepting that fact, as she picked up a rifle in readiness to join the fight and defend the ground she stood on.
“You can hold this,
you have to, but we also have to think beyond this fight, General. We need strong leaders, and I intend to make sure that we do have them.”
“Then good luck, Colonel, and I pray that you do find her.”
“If she’s alive, we’ll find her.”
He turned to his people and signalled for them to follow him to the quieter south as he called in for transport.
“Alita, get your ass down here,” he said casually.
Her voice came over the comms almost instantly as if she had been waiting for his call.
“What can I do for you?” she asked gleefully.
“We need a ride. Put down south of our position, as close as you can.”
“Aye, aye.”
They were only twenty metres down the road when they heard an engine roar overhead from the west and bank to head south as it came in to land.
“We really have no idea if she’s alive or where to find her, do we?” Jones asked.
“We know where she was last, and that’s a start.”
“It’s gonna be like trying to find a needle in a haystack.”
“It’ll be a walk in the park compared to the shit we have gone through the last few days.”
“You sure about that?”
“No, but I can hope.”
It brought a smile to Taylor’s face as they stopped and watched Alita’s craft descend smoothly into the middle of a crossroads junction. It was bizarre how empty and abandoned the streets were. At their backs a battle raged, but a short way to the south there was no sign of the war. It was a ghost town.
They rushed up the ramp and inside. Taylor felt his heart warm as he saw Alita and took a seat beside her in the cockpit.
“How’s it looking down there?”
“Pretty rough, but it could be worse.”
“Really?” Jones commented sarcastically.
“In the grand scheme of things, it could be a whole lot worse, yes.”
“It is in other parts,” added Alita.
They both looked to her to expand on that.
“Hong Kong, Hanoi, and Taipei have already fallen. The east has taken it worse than most. Moscow is an absolute blood path. Sarajevo I hear is similar. It seems like each report we get in is bleaker than the last.”
“The UK?”
“It’s hard to tell, Captain. They were hit that’s for sure, but it’s not easy to get info right about now.”
There was silence for a moment as they all reflected on how horrific the turn of events had been.
“So what are we doing?” Alita finally asked.
“The Alliance needs leadership, and more important Earth needs leadership. We’ve been hit hard, especially those in charge. General Greer has information that a Presidential candidate who may be next in line to the Alliance Presidency is a children’s hospital not far from here.”
“And we’re gonna pick her up?”
“Yes, but first we need to find her.”
“How sure are you that she’s still at this hospital?” Alita asked, at the same time she began punching information into her console to try and locate the building.
“We aren’t sure of anything. This is vague information at best.”
“Anyway of contacting this VIP?”
“Nope.”
Alita laughed.
“Wow, you really thought this one through, Mitch.”
“We’ll make do, just like we always do.”
“There,” said Alita, “The Children’s Hospital, north of DC. There is only one that it could be. The other one was closed and relocated six months ago.”
That was the sort of stroke of luck they needed right now.
“All right, punch it,” replied Taylor.
The engines roared to life as they lifted off, and Taylor sat back in his seat. Jones could see he was deep in thought and with a worried expression on his face.
“What is it?” he asked.
“Well, when all this began, I thought that this time around we could keep the war away from Earth. We paid a dear price to defend it the last time. We deserved to keep it peaceful after that.”
“No doubt.”
“Seems like there is no end to assholes who want to take what is ours. Why can’t they just live and let live? There must be hundreds of inhabitable worlds out there, why not just leave us alone?”
“There may be many worlds, but have you ever seen one as beautiful as this?”
“Nope, you’re damn right there, Jones.”
“Then I guess you have your answer.”
“But why would Bolormaa awaken now? She could have come any time. God knows if she’d turned up instead of the Krys a few hundred years ago, it would have been the end of the human race.”
“You’re assuming she knew where Earth was or that it even existed,” Alita joined in the conversation.
“She right,” replied Jones. He was beginning to piece together a theory in his head, “We didn’t have contact with other races until long after Bolormaa’s reign of terror had come to an end. Maybe this is what she was waiting for, for humans to lead her to Earth? Or maybe she was just waiting for a challenge. Some great alliance at which to test herself against?”
Taylor was nodding along as he tried to process the information, and it was starting to make a lot of sense.
“It’s about Earth. It always was,” he said, “If you see yourself as the God of the universe, the superior being, how could you live anywhere else but the most perfect world in that universe?”
“That’s a big assumption to make. How do you know there isn’t some other magical paradise out there?”
“Well, until I see evidence of it, this is it, and Bolormaa knows it, too, Alita.”
“Then she won’t stop coming until we are dead or gone?”
He nodded. “Maybe, maybe, Jones.”
“Then why don’t we pick up and leave? We can settle on any number of other worlds?”
“No way in hell, Alita. I couldn’t live knowing we were forced from our homes, and Bolo knows that, too. We could leave, but just as we did in the Krys wars, we would be back. That’s why she has been softening up the other colonies before coming here. Encouraging us to stay put where she can end us for good.”
“And the other theory? That she just wanted a challenge, so she waited until we were advanced enough to present a threat?” asked Jones.
“It makes a lot of sense, too. I have to wonder if it isn’t a little bit of both. If you lived forever, what would be the rush to take everything you wanted? Why not take a back seat and savour the experience?”
“Only she hasn’t been able to savour it, as she was sent packing. It must be a bitter realisation to know that you aren’t unstoppable.”
“Yeah, I bet it sure is eating at her. Good,” replied Taylor.
“I am getting readings of gunfire ahead.”
“Where?”
“In the hospital.”
“Ah, shit!” Taylor leaned into the cockpit for a better view of the screens.
“It appears we have enemy craft on the ground, small transports by the looks.”
Fire gushed out of a window on the third floor as an explosion ripped through the tall building.
“Jones, you take two squads through the ground floor. I’ll take the roof.”
Alita brought them in to a hover ten metres above the enemy ships that had put down right in front of the main doors, as if with no caution at all. Jones rushed to the door and looked back at Taylor for just a brief moment.
“We have to get to her, and we need her alive and unharmed. We cannot afford a repeat of what happened to Isaacs.”
“I hear you,” he responded and leapt out of the door.
They piled on out, and Alita was soon banking to bring them over the rooftop.
“You watch yourself out there, you hear?” said Alita.
“I always do.”
“Bullshit, I’ve never met a more reckless man in my life.”
“Yeah, well, I ain�
�t changing, so learn to live with it.”
He ran and leapt out. Alita smiled. They all needed a little humour in their lives to try and counter the grim reality of what they had to face. Taylor hit the ground running and went right for the door to the stairs. He didn’t stop and crashed through the door so that it flew off its hinges. He ran on inside. They rushed down the stairs and onto the top floor.
“Soldiers!” A child’s voice yelled, as they came across four children under ten years old, and a nurse came to greet them. She looked terrified, but the children went on as if it were any other day. To their surprise they found it was still fully in operation as if nothing had changed.
“What are you all still doing here?” Taylor asked.
“Where else would we go?” replied the nurse.
The he realised just how quickly events had unfolded.
“This is a hospital. It is a safe place.”
“I am not so sure the enemy live by your rules.” He pushed past the children to head for the main stairway.
“Then are you here to take us someplace safe?” she pleaded.
He stopped. She had tears in her eyes.
“No, but I am here to help, to help us all. Lisa Caron, she was visiting this place when the shit hit the fan.”
“Please mind your language around the children.”
Taylor looked a slightly ashamed of himself and more than a little sheepish. “Lisa Caron, she was here?”
“Yes, but what has that got to do with anything?”
“There are enemy elements within the building, are there not?”
“We heard shots. Yes.”
“Well, they are here for her.”
“Why?”
“Because she might just have become the most important person in the Alliance. It is my job to see that she survives, and you have a duty to make sure that happens, too.”
“My duty is to the children.”
“If we don’t win this war, neither will they survive. Please, just help us.”
“She was on this floor when it began. Some men arrived with guns to take her away.”
“When was that?”
“About thirty minutes ago, but we have heard gunfire from the floors below ever since.”
“That explosion on the third, that could be them?” said Bailey.
Taylor nodded in agreement.
Battle Beyond Earth - Box Set (Books 1-5) Page 91
