by Jay Allan
* * *
“Keep it moving, Frantic. I want the rest of those men through in an hour.” Taylor was riding everyone’s last nerve, pushing the contingents to move through the Portal as quickly as possible.
“I’m on it, Jake.” Young sounded exhausted. Even with surgically-enhanced muscles and adrenalin-producing nanobots, there was a limit to what men could do with no rest. Taylor had been pushing his people to that limit, and none had worked harder than Karl Young. “I’ll get them through.”
Taylor nodded and turned as he saw Samuels moving toward him. “Bear, what’s the status on the Black Corps?”
“Assembled one klick from the Portal, Jake. Ready to go any time.”
Taylor nodded. “Are you sure they’re all there?”
“Yes, sir. General Ralfieri and I triple-checked.”
“Very well, order Captain Larken to set up a jamming perimeter around them and cut the interference around the Oceania Portal.” Taylor’s people had been jamming all communications across the field, trying to ensure that no orders could reach the Black Corps soldiers and activate their programming, even if someone managed to slip past Black and his men. It was effective, but blanketing a wide area took enormous power, and it was burning through the army’s dwindling supply of fuel. The wide-area jamming was also interfering with communications with Black’s rearguard. And Taylor wanted to know what was going on at the Portal.
“Yes, Jake. I’ll take care of it now.” Samuels turned and trotted off toward the com station.
Taylor walked up and down the ranks of troops moving toward the narrow Portal entrance. His army was leaving a lot of its equipment and supplies behind. He knew that would come back to haunt them later, but there was no choice. Disassembling power units and heavy transports and manhandling the parts through the Portal would take days, even weeks. Time he knew his people didn’t have. Not with the enemy trying to smash through the Portal with fresh troops.
“Jake!” Samuels’ shouted from the front of the com station as he ran back toward Taylor. His voice face was stricken, his voice distraught. “We just reached Colonel Black, sir. He is mortally wounded, and most of his command is destroyed. Enemy troops are pouring through the Portal.”
Chapter 30
From the Journal of Jake Taylor:
How much pain and loss can a man bear and still push forward? I would welcome death in battle, the quick release from all my burdens. Perhaps, I think, I will stay on Juno, meet the enemy alone, die in arms, responsible for no one’s death but my own. But then I remember the cause, the Crusade. My death would hand UNGov the victory, and all those who have died in our efforts would have paid that great price in vain. My destiny is not in my control; my life is not mine to give. It belongs to the dead from our battles, men who stood in the line and gave all they had to give…because I asked them to, because I promised never to yield until Earth was free of its cancerous government. I must find a way to go on, to muster the strength and will they deserve. Anything less would be unforgivable.
“Blackie!” Taylor’s voice blasted through the com, his tone almost frantic. “Blackie, can you hear me?”
Black tried to pull his body up against the small rock behind him, slowly raising his head as he propped himself up. He sat for a few seconds, trying to catch his breath, but he was too lightheaded, and he allowed himself to slide back down. He lay on his side and took a shallow, painful breath. His throat was parched. He reached for his canteen, but it had been holed, and all the water had drained away.
“Jake…” He coughed, feeling the blood slowly filling his lungs. He could feel the nanobots working too, but he suspected this time the extraordinary technology was going to meet its match. His body was riddled with enemy projectiles, and he was covered in burns. He was kilometers from the nearest hospital, and nobody could get to him, not in time. Not without jeopardizing the whole plan. His men had dragged him back from the front lines, but now most of them were dead, and he could hear the sounds of the enemy troops getting closer.
“What’s the status of the rearguard, Blackie?” Taylor’s voice was choked with emotion. He could tell his friend was wounded, but he struggled to stay focused.
“Dead, Jake.” Black’s voice was strained, throaty. “Most of them are dead, and the rest are pinned down. They won’t last long now.”
Taylor felt his stomach clench. Black had taken 300 men with him, the toughest and longest-serving veterans in the army. Now they were all dead, their lives the price of the army’s chance at escape.
“Sit tight, Blackie. I’ve got Hank Daniels and his crew on standby. I’ll have help to you as soon as possible.”
“No. Not this time.” The words sliced through the com like daggers piercing Taylor’s chest. “I’m done, Jake.” There was sadness in Black’s voice, and concern for his friend, his brother.
Black gritted his teeth against the pain. He could face his own death, but he couldn’t let Jake endanger the remnants of the army in some futile effort to save him. Knowing his death was buying the army its escape was a comfort, and he wasn’t going to let Taylor get everyone else killed out of some sense of duty to him. “I’m not getting out of this one, buddy.”
“To hell you’re not.” Taylor roared through the com, his voice determination itself. “I’m not leaving you. I’m coming there myself. You just stay low, and wait.”
Black could hear the tension and grief in Taylor’s voice. He didn’t know how much more his friend could take. He regretted his crisis of faith, his earlier anger at Taylor. It was the crushing stress they’d all been under since they’d begun the Crusade. The pressure was maddening. It was almost impossible to bear, and Taylor had it worst of everyone.
“You sit tight, Blackie. We’re on the way.”
“No.” There was a firmness to Black’s voice. “Don’t make me die here knowing you and half the army are going to get killed in a useless effort to save me.” There was pleading in his tone too. “I’m shot to pieces, and whatever survivors are still hanging on will be dead in a few minutes. You’ll get here too late, and the relieving force will be trapped and overwhelmed.” He paused, coughing up blood as he rasped for air. “Let our deaths mean something, Jake. Let us know we saved the army before we die.”
Taylor didn’t answer for a few seconds. He couldn’t force the words. Finally, he said, “Blackie, I’m so sorry.”
“Forget that, Jake. It’s just war. Death’s waiting out there for all of us. Today is my day.” Black hesitated for a few seconds. “I’m sorry we fought, my friend.” Black’s voice was getting weaker, and Taylor could tell how much effort it took for him to speak.
“Don’t worry about that, Bla…”
“Just let me finish, Jake.” He paused, gasping for air. “Please.” Black sucked in another shallow breath, gritting his teeth against the pain. “I was wrong before. I wish I could take back what I said, Jake.” Another pause. “I don’t want to die with this between us. I regret it all. You’re the closest friend I’ve ever had…and the best man I’ve ever known. None of this is your fault, any more than it’s any of ours. And if there’s a chance to end it all, to get back to Earth and destroy the monstrosity that rules all mankind, there couldn’t be a better man in charge.”
Taylor’s felt a tightness in his chest as Black’s words tore at him. “No, Blackie.” He spoke softly, struggling to hold back his tears. “You were right. We should have gotten out of here sooner. It was my pride, my arrogance. I couldn’t leave the field to the enemy.”
“No. There is no one else who could lead this army, no one but you. We look to you, expect you to be perfect, to know what to do in every situation. It’s an impossible burden we put on you, Jake, but it’s the only way we can push ourselves through this nightmare.” He paused again, gasping for breath. “We lost a lot of good men here, Jake.” Black’s voice was fading to a whisper, but he forced himself to continue. “I’m just one more, my friend. When you get to Earth and crush those miserable
bastards at UNGov, raise your glass one time to me, to old friends who didn’t make it back.”
Taylor tried to speak, but he couldn’t push the words from his throat. There were tears streaming down his cheeks, and his hands were clenched into tight fists. The rage and despair threatened to consume him. He was ready to order every man that remained to march to Black’s position, to toss the plan and fight one last battle to the death. But he knew he couldn’t. Duty. It had become the bane of his existence, an irresistible force that tormented him constantly. But he was its slave, and he knew he could never escape its bitter embrace. He had to get what remained of the army through the Portal…and back to Earth. That was more important than anyone’s life. Even Tony Black’s.
“Now go, Jake.” Black’s voice was softer, weaker. “Go now while you still can. Get everyone through the Portal…and kill those bastards on Earth.”
Black took one last rasping breath, and then he fell silent. Taylor knew his friend was gone.
* * *
Evans stood facing Taylor. The columns were moving quickly through the Portal. There were UN Force Juno troops marching through now, survivors of the initial planetary army. The original force had lost well over half its strength, but virtually all of those who were left had rallied to Taylor’s cause.
Taylor was trying to focus on getting everyone through the Portal before the enemy could get enough forces through from Oceania to mount an attack. If they hit his people all strung out at the Portal, with half their force already transited, it would be a disaster.
He was grateful for the distraction, for anything that kept his mind busy. He’d staggered behind one of the small shelters and fallen to his knees right after he spoke to Black. His stomach emptied, and tears poured down his face. He was grateful Black had forgiven him, that they hadn’t parted on bad terms, but that didn’t change the fact that his closest friend was dead. He’d died performing the mission Taylor had given him, alone and in pain. He’d died so the army could survive, so it could move on with the Crusade. The time Black and his people had bought with their lives would save thousands, allow them to transit to Lorus before the new UN forces could attack and overwhelm them. Taylor had taken a few minutes to mourn his friend, but then he’d pulled himself back together and gone back to work.
“You know we can’t go with you, General Taylor.” There was sadness in Evans’ voice, and grave resignation. “As soon as they can get a signal through to me – to all of us – we’ll attack you again. You know it, and so do I.” He took a deep breath. “They did this to us, General, and there’s no undoing it. As long as they can communicate with us, we’re their slaves. We can’t fight them, can’t raise a hand against them…and we’ll do whatever they command, even though our conscious minds are screaming no.”
Taylor opened his mouth, but he didn’t know what to say. Evans’ words hit him hard, but he realized they were true. He knew what had to be done, but he didn’t want to allow himself to believe it, and he certainly didn’t have the strength to do it. These were good men, veterans who had fought in good faith against the Tegeri before they were drafted into the Black Corps and turned into cyborgs. They’d been lied to just as he had been. Worse, UNGov had cut into their brains, stolen their free will. Taylor couldn’t command these men to stay behind, much less order his soldiers to attack them. He knew the Black Corps would remain a deadly threat to his army, but he simply couldn’t face the reality of doing something about it.
“Don’t worry, General.” There was a strange tone to Evans’ voice, an eerie calm. “We will take care of things here. You just get your people and the unmodified survivors from the Juno army through the Portal before the new UN forces can deploy and attack.”
Taylor felt nauseous. He had an idea what Evans was planning. “No, Tom…” He put his hand on Evans’ soldier. “We’ll find a way. We’ll…”
“There is no way, Jake.” Evans forced a smile. “You know that as well as I do. My people have a choice. Wait until UNGov gets new commanders here to make us slaves again. Or…” Evans took a breath. “…or take matters into our own hands.”
“Tom…”
“Please, Jake. Go now. Get everybody through the Portal. Don’t waste the time Colonel Black and his people paid so dearly for. Finish the Crusade. That’s what you can do for us. Make sure those bastards can never do this to anyone again. Ever.”
Taylor knew Evans was right. There were probably thousands of troops pouring through the Portal from Oceania. They were men like just those of UN Force Juno, but they had no idea of the truth. They all believed Taylor’s men were the worst traitors imaginable, killers who had slaughtered their counterparts on Juno and a string of other worlds. Taylor had considered trying to address them, to convince them to come over to his side along with the remnants of UN Force Juno. But he knew there wasn’t time. There would be UN security among the arriving soldiers, maybe even another Inquisitor. No, there was no choice. If his people were going to have any hope of reaching Earth they had to leave Juno. Immediately.
Taylor looked at Evans, his respect for the man growing by the second. He didn’t know what to say. He struggled for words, but they eluded him. Finally, he snapped a perfect salute to Evans. “Major, it has been my honor to serve with you.” He extended his hand.
Evans reached out and grabbed Taylor’s hand. “And my honor to have served with you, however briefly. Please accept my renewed apologies for the losses you suffered when our programming was activated.”
Taylor winced. He’d been ready to kill Evans with his bare hands when he’d thought the Black Corps officer had betrayed his men. But now he saw the true quality of the man.
“Fortune go with you and those you lead, General Taylor. The spirit of the Black Corps will be with you. Always.”
Taylor nodded and turned back toward the column. Evans stood and watched the men marching. He stood there silently, for a good long time…until the last man stepped through the Portal. He finally nodded and allowed himself one brief smile. The Army of Liberation was on its way. Then he straightened his uniform and walked back to where his men had gathered.
Chapter 31
From the Journal of Jake Taylor:
Earth. Home. Or is it home anymore? Do we even have a home, we men of Gehenna? What will we find when we return? A hostile world, one that thinks us traitors and murderers? A grim battle to destroy an entrenched government?
Will the people listen to us? Will they follow us, rise up and free themselves from the shackles of UNGov? Or has their spirit been destroyed by years of repression? Does mankind have the spirit to stand for itself, to demand freedom, to fight however long it takes to break their chains?
I don’t know. I see men like those from the Black Corps and UN Force Juno, and I want to believe…I want to believe man’s spirit is indestructible, that no amount of oppression can extinguish it. But I remember Earth too, how the people cringed in fear and did as they were told. I remember men like my father, those who still felt the spark of independence, ridiculed and hushed by their panicked families.
I was no better then. I didn’t listen to what my father told me, what he tried to teach me. I believed what they told me at school, what the media said. It took a manifestation of hell as brutal as Erastus to change that.
Will our friends and relatives still be alive? What will they think of us after so many years? We are grim creatures, all of us, dark and violent. We know little now but war and the brutality of the battlefield. Those of us with the modifications are cyborgs, monstrous to the eyes of those who have never seen such creatures. Will we terrify those who once loved us? Are we fit to live among parents, siblings, old friends? Will they open their arms and welcome us home? Or will they fear us, shun us?
“Men of the Black Corps, by now you are all aware that we have been surgically altered, rendered incapable of refusing orders issued by designated authorities from UNGov.” Evans looked out over the men assembled in front of him. All the survivors o
f the Black Corps were there, just over 4,000 out of 20,000 who had marched through the Portal. “What has been done to us cannot be undone. There is no cure, no way back. UNGov has made slaves of us, puppets waiting to dance for their masters.”
Evans looked out over the soldiers before him, standing silently. “We cannot follow General Taylor and his army. There is too great a danger our conditioning will be used against them, and we cannot allow that. Taylor and his forces are the only chance to destroy UNGov, to free all the generations that follow from tyranny, to ensure that they can never do to others what they did to us. We will not be the cause of that effort’s failure.” His voice was grim, determined.
“We have two choices, brothers, and each of us must decide for ourselves what road we will tread. Even as I speak, new soldiers are marching through the Portal. These forces will undoubtedly be accompanied by UNGov personnel, probably another Inquisitor team. If we do nothing, if we remain here, they will give us orders…commands we will be unable to disobey. They will tear from us our free will, makes us slaves to their purposes. They will compel us to follow General Taylor and his forces, to continue to fight a dishonest and evil war. To kill men who are the only hope to end this nightmare and lead Earth to a better future.”
