by Marcus Sloss
“We only have seven scan glasses. They are up with Becca for now. Well, eight if you count the pair Jevon has. They were rare, like the new electric guns. I am itching to test those, even if they were reviewed as disappointing,” Torrez said, losing focus as his mind drifted. “Those bears had superior weapons.”
“Sure, they also had no tanks or air support. Things that go boom obviously kill them. Is Maria going to sleep?” I said with a long exhale. “Are you against her learning how to be a soldier?”
“While I appreciate you asking, no; she will do what is needed. Cap, this is your show and if you need her, go wake her up. She fell asleep with Jasmine. I hate we are in another pickle, but we will be okay. Everyone will do their part. For the crew,” Torrez said.
“For the crew,” I replied and he left for the bulldozer.
“He super knows you are not going to wake Maria up,” Perci said with a teasing, snarky voice.
“Yup. Oh hey, Willow. Steaming coffee, perfect. Thank you.”
“I brought yours out earlier, Cap, but you were in the spooky woods. I am going back to learning from Becca if that is okay,” Willow said.
“Sure. Did you get a carbine yet?”
“Yeah, it is right there inside the door. Becca was going to show me how to sling it,” Willow replied with a smile.
“Perfect. I want you to start shooting as soon as we can. Merely say when on the radio first. I will leave that pole over there up and we can stick a box on it for target practice,” I said, pointing to a pole now void of wires that was a hundred feet out. “Obviously wait until I say the area is clear. And you can get the box. I am going to be sliding electrical lines into the dirt.”
“So Eric, since it is just us. For the crew…” Perci said, and let the words hang in the air.
I let out a huff and my air frosted. Huh, it should not be that cold. My Gpad said it was in the high thirties. The forecast had been low forties when I looked at it earlier. I shook it off as minor and grasped Perci by the shoulder, ensuring our eyes were locked.
“The crew means we are not adhering to laws. Friendly, domestic, or otherwise. For the crew was our excuse. We need to be strong. For the crew. We need to provide. For the crew. We kill to save others. For the crew. The list goes on. Then there is the prayer. If there is a god,” I said.
“May he or she forgive us. For the crew,” Willow said, catching on.
“Yup.”
“Okay, I am with you, to the end. You think things will really turn that grim?” Perci asked, and I nodded.
My hand swept the area where Denver was way down the mountains and said, “That is not Saudi Arabia. There are not some hard desert people with AKs in Denver. There will be the strong, and the weak. Then the weak will become strong or follow the strong. Anarchy will set in when food stops arriving from factories.”
“Can we make a trip early? I want to know if our Gpads work closer to Denver. Intel from my mom and reestablishing links with the crew is worth the two hours,” Perci said convincingly. “It could mean a big difference. Also, I may have ordered more supplies. Like all I could when the mom gave me the alert. We should be getting the last drone deliveries.”
“If you wake up Maria and Jasmine. We leave as a complete team if we are going out at night. We will not finish the perimeter in two or three hours, probably at least half a day. The drive will let people sleep, too. A few hours does a lot, even if he does not sound like it. Consider me convinced.”
“Got it, slowing the coffee then,” Willow said, her lips puckered.
I grabbed my radio, pressed the indent, and waited a moment.
“Crew. Six actual, rally RV after wires are buried. Becca, prep the vehicle now. Be vigilant, over watch is coming down,” I said into the radio. The required replies were sent. “This is happening because I agree with the idea and had no idea we might get reception down the mountain. Not because you look fantastic naked.”
Perci smirked, turning both palms up at her shoulders. She gave a cute smile and said, “Want me to help bury lines or help Becca?”
“Watching you bend over has its perks. Willow, go with Becca and keep learning while helping. Dismissed,” I said, and Willow curtsied. “Oh, I could get used to that.”
“You did just play the king. Pirate King sounds better than Pirate Captain.”
“Shoo with you, Willow, before you inflate his ego,” Perci said, motioning Willow inside.
The trip to the ditch was short. Based on how Jevon piled the dirt, I knew he intended to push it with the dozer.
“Torrez, hold off on moving those barrier skins. Come over here and backfill behind me,” I said into the radio. “We will set up our perimeter later.”
“Wilco Cap.”
The next half hour was monotonous but by the end of the ordeal, our power lines were buried. That was a big achievement. Even if it did not protect the physical mansion, it would leave our vulnerable lines protected. Torrez left the bulldozer by the kid park as he went in for his wife and daughter. The RV rolled next to me with a soft whine of the electric engine.
The door swung open to reveal Willow fully armored and armed. Her MK3 used its diagonal sling to rest on her right hip with the ACOG aimed forward. Before you assume that would be a given, it sure as fuck was not. I had been lax with my troops at first in Saudi Arabia. After the initial firefights, your weapon was slung in a posture that allowed for a quick shoulder, sight, exhale, and tender squeeze. Her plump lips split in a smile that locked me in place. Her pink hair was braided tightly in pigtails that came to a knot on the back of her head. Her helmet was snug, her vest was geared correctly, and she even tucked her laces into her boots.
“You ogling me or inspecting me?” Willow asked, stepping out of the way to let me in. I was about to reply when she said, “Okay, here they come. Dim the lights.”
The interior lights dimmed while I vacated the entry point of the camper. Maria came out with Jasmine tucked into her chest. She cradled the girl into the back room and Willow softly shut them in. The light intensity in the cabin increased once they were behind the door. Torrez came to the RV with a fifty cal sniper rifle with a night vision scope. The RV creaked under the weight of his mechanical legs. Jevon sealed the heavy door as he was the last to load up.
I decided to catch some shuteye like a professional soldier. My ascent to the top bunk over the driver section was joined by Torrez. Jevon and Becca occupied the bucket seats. Perci folded the table down into a bed, a blanket with pillows were laid out, and the interior lights dimmed. I removed my helmet, tucking it into a snuggle buddy. Within minutes, I was out.
My boot was being pulled on, forcing me awake. A minor headache reverberated through my head from a lack of quality sleep. I had no choice but to shake it off and crawl out of the loft. My helmet went back onto my head with a snap. My Gpad lit up like a Christmas tree with alerts. Most of the news I skimmed through was bad. Wait…
“Officer, you have about two second to step away from the vehicle,” Jevon was saying through the partially opened window next to the RV door.
I dove headfirst into the loft. I rushed for the roof access. I rapidly spun the hatch release and scurried through the hole, which was barely big enough. The moment I popped onto the roof, a second trooper drew his sidearm at my sight.
Instinct kicked in. My cybernetic arm enhanced my reaction. My rifle instantly snapped up with a crack, crack. Two brass casings went flying off the roof of the RV. The trooper was sprawled on the ground with his weapon flung off into the road. While I was impressed at how fast I reacted. I assessed the situation and it seemed there were only the two officers at first glance. The trooper by the camper door was screaming for backup. Jevon was screaming for him to put his weapon on the ground. I ran to the back of the RV.
Using the spare tire for my feet along with my engineered arm, I lowered myself silently down to the bumper. I rapidly tilted my upper body for the tiniest of peeks around the corner. Internally, I was cursing fo
r not having scan glasses on me. The trooper was facing Jevon as my friend remained behind a bulletproof window. When I came around the corner, he kept glancing up for me. I had the drop on him now with my carbine, ready for him to react.
“Weapon down!” I shouted, hoping he wouldn’t spin.
He spun.
Crack! Crack! My rounds slammed into his armored chest, sending him flying.
Jevon burst out of the camper. I rushed for the first deputy I had downed. The man was rolling on the ground in pain. My run let me get to his sidearm before he could. The lucky shit was wearing the newest state-issued heavy plating. He was alive; probably some cracked ribs and gnarly bruising from the blunt force trauma, but alive. I stripped him of his weapons, ammo, keys, and radio.
His radio was cracking with bad static. A dispatcher was requesting a report in broken words. I turned the radio off to quiet the noise. About fifty feet down the road, there was a barricade with a pile of vehicles behind it.
“Tina!” I heard Willow shout for a brief moment.
Shit. Her friend was racing across the gap. We were going to lose control of the situation if we had not already. My rifle pointed into the air and I fired a single shot off.
“Onto the ground, now!” Jevon shouted with his weapon aimed at the restless crowd behind the barricades.
“We surrender. For the crew!” A voice I knew yelled out and returned a round into the air.
“Mitchell is here, advance the RV. Secure the friendlies. Break down the barricade. I need to find out why this roadblock is here,” I said into the radio Perci had given me.
The RV rolled forward to set up by the barricade. I tossed the cop’s keys to Jevon, who looted the cop car shotguns quickly. The vehicle did a U-turn by the barricades and I saw people piling in. Jevon ran back to the RV to handle the situation, while I moved the two wounded men to beside their vehicles off the road. Both would live and were angry as hell at me as they painfully breathed. I did not blame them. They were not going to be any good for interrogating right now.
I spun the radio to on, keyed the mic, and waited a second. “This is Pirate Six, I repeat, Pirate Six. Your troopers are alive with BFT to the chest. They drew on mercenary forces escorting a HVT. Requesting medical aid at vehicle location. I repeat. Stable condition in the back of their-”
“Break. Break. Break. Are you saying officers down?”
“Affirm. Stable. Pissed-off, but will recover just fine.”
“You are not a medical professional.”
“I fear I need to warn you. This area is now a military zone. Your interference will not always be met with non-lethal force,” I said into the radio.
There was a tirade as the dispatcher went ballistic on me. I glanced down at the two men, who managed to sit up now. They were still sucking wind with labored breaths. The one asked for the radio and I handed it to him.
“Get the Chief... Fredrick here,” Fredrick said with a pause.
“This is Chief actual, you okay?”
“Yeah, Chief. These men are... in military gear... with military training. I cannot... hold the road...” He said painfully.
“EMS on the way, ETA five mikes. Pirate Six?”
I grabbed the radio back and said, “Go ahead.”
“That road was blocked for a HVT, are you telling me you have secured the HVT.”
“Affirm. Pirate Six, out.”
I twisted the knob until the radio was off. The officer accepted it with a nod. The look of hatred left his eyes. I’d had that look myself a few times. He was happy to be alive with little else mattering. The brain was forcing him into an elated state. We smiled at each other while I stood over him.
“Fredrick. I am sorry. When this is over and you get back on your feet, remember your family. Go protect them. I need to go protect mine. For the crew,” I said, and he grunted while using a hand to stop me.
“Thanks for not killing us. I know you could have,” Fredrick replied.
I left him with the protection of his vehicle to lean against. He was away from the road and I knew the medics or backup would arrive soon. I paused to cross the street. The flow of traffic streaming up the road was not long. Most of the vehicles pulled over to wait to convoy with us. Finally, the last three cars zoomed by and I ran to the RV.
Torrez covered my dash to our mini-perimeter. I went to the forest side of the RV and a reunion was underway. I did not see Willow or Tina, and realized they were probably inside the camper. Mitchell, Delcroy, Mclain, and three armed men, as well as women, were talking with Jevon.
“Cap, good to see you,” Mclain said. “This is my sister, Dalila. No, Cap. No funny business.”
The man was five-ten, olive complexion with black hair, and brown eyes. Mclain was one hell of a shot. His sister had dyed blonde hair, brown eyebrows with brown eyes, and a dimpled smile. I started shaking hands of those around me. Delcroy was a sergeant, one of the best I had. The man was five seven with blonde hair and blue eyes. He had an AR-19 with a full thirty mag locked into the weapon. No doubt the modifying had already begun across the nation. Mitchell had his two brothers with him. Mitchell was carrying the fifty cal we brought. He normally was a spotter, but there were times where spotters could make fantastic snipers. His brothers were slight variations of the man. Brown hair, brown eyes, and each about six feet tall.
After introductions, I said, “Any of these cars forced to auto-navigate?”
“No, Cap. Only those two in the airport auto taxi need a lift. Dedric, Lavaun, and Slister are all due in the next ten mikes,” Mclain said.
“Break this up. Corner perimeter posts. Find cover. Put the civilians in the RV for rapid exfil if we have to,” I said and the men and women sped off to follow my orders. I muttered under my breath, “At least I can say I saw the men I shot - get the help they needed.”
“I swear, maybe once in our life when we tell someone to set a weapon down, they will. If they had the old vests, they would be dead,” Jevon said as we walked into the camper.
I handed Perci my magazine minus four rounds, just like old times. She was even waiting with an ammo box out. I leaned down and gave her a juicy kiss she was not expecting. Willow cleared her throat. I shifted my lips and kissed Willow. I probably read the situation wrong when Willow blushed profusely.
“Cap, this is Tina and Derek. Derek and Tina, this is Cap. My boyfriend. I guess I should have introduced Perci as my girlfriend.” I shook Tina’s hand and then Derek’s hand.
“Derek, I am Cap in official times, Eric in relaxed times. Do either of you know how to shoot?” I asked, and they both shook their heads no. “No worries. There are a thousand things to do when we get home. XO, you have command while I send a few Gpad notes out. Perci, sit-rep while I type.”
I planted my ass in the passenger bucket set. The first message was to mom who was so upset she had not listened to me or my new wife… Perci. I chuckled and wished her luck. That was the best I could do, minus mentioning how much I loved her. She told me she would be fine. Mom was honored I was her son. I hoped I would talk to her again but a tug at my shriveled heart said I probably would not. Perci shook my shoulder to garner my attention.
“I told your mom I would protect you in her place. Sorry, Eric. Are you ready for the report?” Perci asked, and I nodded.
She returned to the table that had been converted back from being a bed. Additional people flowed into the camper seeking refuge. With the main area crowding, people pushed into the room Maria and Jasmine read a book in. There was little choice and overcrowding would become a normal thing. People compressed into small living areas, handling the situation the best they could. Smiles at being close to the FOB were evident as people relaxed while finding standing space.
“The aliens launched six waves in total. Three, nine, eighty-one, and the last three waves were six thousand each. Total of eighteen thousand and ninety-three. The Gnet is a mess with rumors and sprinkled facts. The quadgates or fourportals…well, the theme is ther
e on the name. They are random. When I say random, I mean it in every way. The second wave had a construct land on the beach in Brazil. The gate spawned two alien species that tore into each other. Gcorp believes the portals link to separate worlds with no common rational reasoning. The prevailing theory is there are hundreds, if not thousands, of worlds synced to the portal network that Earth is being forced into.
“Okay, you listening? This next part is very important,” Perci said. I paused in typing on my Gpad asking the Biysk couple to secure our packages to give Perci my full attention. “The drones won’t pick up what people in real time get to see. Reports are you can view the entire surrounding other side of the portal in person. There is a magical effect—I repeat, a ‘magical effect’—where, if you shift left or right, you can get a three-sixty view around the gateway. Basically, you need to see it in person. Which I have bad news, because most of the world will get a chance to. Two devices are going to land around Denver. One will land about sixty miles south of Fob Mansion. Another a few hours west and a final one ten hours north. There are no safe zones without fourgates coming. Except underground. The estimated range on the constructs is a hundred miles a day. if not locked down by pressing the button. The current theory is that they roam in a generic area, but only time will tell.
“There have been zero signals or messages from the mothership. Looting, a mass exodus of metropolitan areas, and hoarding of supplies are already running rampant. Gcorp is estimating five percent of humanity will die from self-inflicted damage before we even deal with the majority of these fourgates. Ugh, I am reading these reports and we need a solid name for these portal devices, Cap.”
“Xgates works. There are four open sides to an x,” I said. “Hell, your mom -”
“Loves it, here is your magazine back. Xgates are complex. Gcorp official policy, which is US policy, by the way, is to give them space. The government has put out to start building strongholds around farms. We are fucked for food. Not our stronghold immediately, but humanity in general. Our farm fields will be left open and our cities will starve. Gcorp is putting the word out now. Get out of the cities and defend the farms. Even if the advice is heeded, the means of getting that food to the cities will never work. The days of delivering frozen beef patties to your local fast food joint are over.”
