“Yeah—okay. Head down there,” Kane ordered.
The third armored vehicle had to fall behind as the cobblestoned road quickly narrowed. As Kane watched the progress from the open turret, he started to hear the familiar sounds of endless war—the rapid chugging of machine gun fire, the repetitive dulled booms of rockets exploding inside buildings.
The Terekstan forces were probably knocking the buildings down brick by brick, ready to bury the marines. Kane was painfully aware that he might just be adding his troops to the body count. In which case, Command might have been right to order mission termination.
Fuck it—too late now.
He turned to the twin gunners on top of his vehicle. “Hold your fire until we can see what’s happening.”
With one voice, the two gunners—in a prime spot to be taken out—replied, “Yes, Lieutenant.”
Kane rubbed his chin again. A nervous habit. Rubbing, thinking. What was ahead? What was the best way to get the pressure off the trapped marines?
The cobblestone street curved around, then opened out into a plaza. And ahead he spied the Terekstan troops, and off to the side, the rebels, maybe even with some Russian regulars thrown in for good measure, moving down three streets simultaneously, all nicely coordinated.
Then a rumble, deep, something felt in the gut. Tanks. Real goddamn tanks, definitely from Mother Russia…unless they were the Chinese knockoffs.
How many soldiers just for this advancing wing alone? Two…maybe three hundred. And probably an equal number on the other side.
Kane took a breath. Crazy overwhelming odds. Kane’s forty-two soldiers…against all that lay before him.
One thing Kane knew for sure—if it turned into a toe-to-toe battle, fighting for every meter of street, then the end result was a foregone conclusion: all the marines would die in this quaint city tonight. Did the grunts under him know that?
He looked around the armored troop carrier. Faces grim. Eyes wide. Weapons clutched. Kane thought of giving them a little rallying speech. But if there was one thing he knew about his marines, it was that their bullshit detectors were set to high.
Still looking at the soldiers, he spoke into the radio mic hugging his cheek. “Sergeant, got the enemy in sight?”
The radio crackled to life, and when Kane heard the gunfire, the explosions, he knew that Chadbourne was doing more than just seeing the enemy.
Kane pointed to the twin side doors of the vehicle. A soldier on each door awaited Kane’s move. No speech, no flag waving, no “Semper fi’” or commands like “Leave no marine behind.”
Just a single word…
“Go!”
The doors popped open; the marines moved out. And all the while Kane was thinking:We don’t have a goddamn chance.
5
MARS CITY—DELTA LAB
THE AIRLOCK TO DELTA OPENED, AND KELLIHERhurried in ahead of the others. The lock shut behind them and the chamber filled with precious air.
After a few moments, the lock leading to the lab opened, and the party gave their life-support suits to some lab assistants. Kelliher gazed past them, marveling at the sight before him.
The lab past the airlock teemed with activity; people moved through a great open space as if hell-bent on a mission of amazing urgency. Surrounding the great open lab, Kelliher could see chambers and storerooms in the background, and then a raised area, with more rooms.
An incredible display, all of Mars City, all of the UAC’s great plans. This lab, its work, the future it represented.
There was, however, one thing missing from Kelliher’s sight. “Where the hell is Betruger?”
Swann stood beside his boss. “He was notified that we were on our way.”
“Really?”
Despite his irritation, Kelliher knew that Dr. Malcolm Betruger commanded a certain level of respect—he was, after all, the brains behind everything that made the UAC what it was today. And if Betruger was correct about the work up here…it was only the beginning.
Nonetheless, Kelliher began to fume. “Am I supposed to stand here and wait? What the—”
Suddenly Betruger came rushing across the floor, emerging from behind a massive podlike chamber on the main floor. “Ian,so glad to see you.”
Kelliher stuck out his hand. Betruger gave it a quick shake as if such flesh-to-flesh contact bordered on the unappealing.
Physically, Betruger wasn’t imposing at all. On the short side, a bit stocky. But the eyes…Betruger’s eyes burned with an intelligence and clarity that could hold a boardroom riveted, or make every person in the room feel two inches tall, from fellow scientists down to the lowliest lab assistant.
Betruger looked at the other men and nodded, not acknowledging Hayden by name.Shows who’s is in control of this operation. Kelliher guessed that Betruger certainly liked the fact that Delta was—for now at least—cut off from the rest of Mars City.
“Good to see you again, Malcolm,” said Kelliher.
“Things look…busy here.”
A smile, not a terribly warming one, bloomed on Betruger’s face. “Busy. Oh yes, that we are, Ian. And it’s only going to get more so. You got my requests for the next quarter?”
“Yes, they are being processed—”
Betruger’s eyes narrowed. “Processed? Ian, I told you that they represented the minimum. The absolute minimum…”
“I still have a board to report to, Malcolm. I’m still on Earth.”
A grin from Betruger. “The old world.”
“Yes, a magical place where boards still have to sign off on giant budget increases.” Though, truth be told, they would rubber stamp any proposal, but why let him know that?
“The minimum, Ian. That’s all I—”
Kelliher put a hand on Betruger’s shoulder and smiled. “Malcolm, don’t worry. It’s all going to happen, everything you need. The personnel, the material—I put Swann here in direct charge of overseeing it. He’ll be coming up here to liaise with you.”
Kelliher saw Swann’s head turn at that bit of information. Unexpected news for his chief counsel, but Swann knew a lot of Kelliher’s and the UAC’s secrets. If there was one person to trust in this, it had to be Swann. And if he didn’t like it?Tough shit, my friend.
Betruger didn’t exactly shrug off the hand on his shoulder, but instead turned and faced the great open expanse of the lab. “A tour then? Show you where we are…and where we will be going?”
Kelliher nodded and smiled. “That’s what we’re here for, Malcolm. Just nothing too technical, okay?”
“Of course. We’ll start with the new chambers, shall we?”
And Betruger hurried away at full speed, making no secret of the fact that he was probably way too busy to be so accommodating.
“Dr. MacDonald, if you would do the honors?”
Kellyn MacDonald turned away from the just-installed chamber, barely put together for this dog and pony show. Certain irony there, he thought.Dogs. Yes, we’ve used them. No ponies—yet.
MacDonald lowered his clipboard and stuck out his hand.
“Ian Kelliher,” Betruger said, introducing the UAC boss.
Kelliher took MacDonald’s hand, but his eyes were fixed on the twelve-foot-tall, room-sized chamber. “Impressive,” he said. Only then did he look at MacDonald. “And untested?”
“Yes, sir. We only—”
Betruger walked up to the chamber. “Not to worry, Ian. It follows the specifications of the smaller modules. We continue to test with those as well. There’s no question in my mind that these will be ready for full testing soon, with these pods.”
“And operational?”
The question came from a man standing just behind Kelliher. MacDonald looked at him. Strange to see a guy in a suit, on Mars no less. Was this the lawyer he’d heard about? Yes. Elliot Swann, in the flesh. The shark who made sure that no matter what happened on Mars, it didn’t come around to bite the UAC. The whole colony could be wiped out in some massive incident and—MacDonald
imagined—the UAC not only would be found completely blameless, but would probably come up smelling like roses.
Betruger looked at Swann. “The big question, Elliot. One that—well, I’m sure I need not explain to someone as bright as you—can only be resolved bytesting. ”
Was that a bit of a grin on Kelliher’s face? Enjoying his lawyer facing Betruger? No one faced Betruger and escaped unscathed. The scientist pushed his glasses back, pausing—a little thinking time. “Just as when I developed the ion engine. That too…remained to betested. Thattoo spent years without being operational.” The scientist took a step closer to the lawyer.Oh…this is fun. “Until it did becomeoperational. Enough to bring you and every person and every bit of machinery and every chunk of Mars City here—in days. Think about that for a moment, Mr. Swann. Days.”
Finally General Hayden—who had been lying back as if this lab was a potentially threatening environment—intervened. “All right, Malcolm, I think you’ve made your point.”
Kelliher nodded. “People have questions. I get them all the time. When I go back home, the board will certainly ask them. It’s wise to have answers, Malcolm, no? So let’s continue the tour. And then maybe I’ll have some really good answers for them.”
Betruger turned away from the lawyer, and—almost like some barrel-headed clown applying makeup—he plastered a smile on his face. “Yes, Ian. Lots to show you. You’ll see everything you need. Follow me.”
They turned and walked away.Everything they need, MacDonald thought. Maybe.But they won’t see everything. Of that, MacDonald was absolutely sure.
Mars City PDA
Dr. Kellyn MacDonald
Personal Folder, Security Enabled.
Checked and Opened_4_27_2144 12:37:42
The “inspection” seems to be progressing exactly as Betruger rehearsed it. Kelliher got to see what he thought was the whole lab—the gleaming new transporter chambers and the older, smaller modules all in working order. While they didn’t get a live demonstration, Betruger did show them vid of what he called “key experiments” using physical objects. Then he explained the irregularities, the anomalies—or rather, tried to.
Because we don’t know what caused them. Why would the polar orientation of an object’s molecules reverse? Why would certain chemical bonds disappear, changing the nature of some substances, while others would be transformed into some new kind of bond, previously unseen?
All fascinating, and why I am here, to be sure. But Betruger, and all of us on the team, made sure that certain things are not seen. All the vid from the live experiments, from example, and the cadavers—kept only a few rooms away from where the party tours. Made me very nervous, I must confess.
Not a single word about that as Betruger plunges on with his experiments, his plans. No one can question him, of course. Heaven forbid—not the man who gave humankind the ion engine. But I am keeping records. And I file my own reports to Kelliher. Then there’s my own personal musings here, of course. And copies of files, test results, the images. At some point, I may need to show them. But not right now.
For now, it’s watch and wait.
Personal Folder Closed and Locked_4_27_2144 12:51:08
Betruger walked the tour party back to the airlock. “Satisfied, Ian?”
“Not sure how to answer that, Malcolm. Based on your test results and what I’ve seen, there seems to be a lot yet to figure out, a lot—”
“Oh yes—there is, and we will. The team here is the best. You should know—you pay their salaries.” Betruger laughed—an unpleasant sound. “But they are all here because each and every one of them believes in what we are doing, what we will attempt.”
Kelliher started to step into his EVA suit. “I’m sure they do. I’m sure they understand that if they achieve the goal of moving matter through space instantaneously…this dream of teleportation…”
“It’s not a dream.”
Kelliher paused. Betruger was difficult to talk to at the best of times, but there seemed to be an increased edge to his tone.Is Mars getting to him? Kelliher looked at Campbell and Swann; both would be dealing hands-on with this man in the coming days and weeks. Good that they see Kelliher’s concern. “It is in my book, until you achieve success.”
“It’s all there. We are so close. Twelve months. At the outer limit.”
Kelliher nodded. “I hope so. The UAC has high hopes for Mars City…” He grabbed his helmet.
Betruger smiled. “Exactly—everything else pales. And when I succeed, humanity will be forever changed.”
“I’m sure. And now—thanks again, but General Hayden has some boring administrative matters I have to review.”
Kelliher was about to reach out and shake the lead scientist’s hand, but stopped himself. Somehow, it just didn’t feel like something he wanted to do. His instincts warned him that something was completelyoff about the entire situation up here.
6
THE INNER CITY OF TEREKSTAN
WITHOUT WARNING, KANE’S SQUAD FOUND THEMSELVESright on the tail of a line of Terekstan regulars, flanking some nasty Russian tanks. The tanks were relics, nothing more than turrets with wheels, but still capable of kicking out rapid-fire explosive rounds without jamming.
The gunfire covered Kane’s advance, coming right behind them. The Terekstan soldiers were too busy watching their tanks turn buildings into rubble, and apparently Russia hadn’t given them any live satellite feeds. Maybe they didn’t think it necessary. And judging from the building-leveling blasts, Kane imagined that they weren’t too concerned about rebuilding any infrastructure.
“Chadbourne, what do you see?”
“Nothing yet, Lieutenant. Just signs of the firefight ahead.”
Then another voice. One of the trapped marines. “Th-they got us surrounded. We’re just about out of RPGs. They’re pounding us.”
Kane saw a few of the Terekstan soldiers ahead turn their heads, now suddenly aware that someone snaked behind them.
“Shit,” he called out. “Everyone ready.”
And just like that, the Terekstan soldiers who had been pouring all of their firepower into the buildings began to aim at Kane’s men.
“Deploy and fire at will!” Kane shouted.
The sides of the troop carriers opened, and his men streamed out, hugging the building walls.
The area immediately transformed into a massive firefight, a spidery net of tracer fire and laser targeting, making the crater-pocked boulevard look like a carnival setting. Or maybe a street from hell.
The Terekstan regulars in the rear—easy targets—began to fall.Good. When you’re this outnumbered, you have to start whittling them down fast.
“Lieutenant, we have a problem,” reported Chadbourne.
“Which one?”
“They’ve moved to the side streets and taken position. We—” He hesitated. Kane could hear the sound of guns firing, then larger explosions. God, maybe this was an error. What’s the expression? Good after bad?What if this rescue turns out to be a mass slaughter of two companies?
“Chadbourne, maybe you need to pull back.”
No response. Then—“No, Lieutenant. We’ve taken position.” A laugh. “One thing for sure. We got plenty of targets.”If there’s anyone I want coming to rescue me, it’s Chadbourne.
Then the trapped marine’s voice again, the one that had totally lost it before. “Lieutenant—if you can hear me—how long till you’re here?”
“Are you the officer in charge?”
“The captain, he’s dead. I just put on his headset.”
“Good work. Your marines in defensive position?”
“Yes—but more than half gone.”
Cuts our number down even more…“We’re real close. What’s your name?”
“PFC Richards.”
“Richards, you’re doing great. Real good. Just keep the pressure on at your end. Once we see your position, once we—” A loud explosion near Kane’s vehicle—he felt it lurch as the driver drew c
loser to a building. “Once we see your position, we’ll send up some flares. That will be your signal to punch out and join us.”
“Yes, Lieutenant.”
“Meantime—just keep firing.”
Give them, what, five minutes?Kane wondered. He turned back to the driver. “Do your best to keep those goddamn tanks busy. Got it?” His two gunners nodded. Both looked a little jittery…
And then Kane jumped out of the vehicle to join his men on the street.This must have been what Custer felt like.
The Terekstan tanks, either bought, borrowed, or stolen from the Russians, finally had time to position themselves and seal off the end of the street. At the same time, snipers had taken position in the buildings at the corners.
They could pin us down here forever,Kane knew.Or worse, one of the other enemy lines moving down a parallel street could turn around and box us in at the other end. Game over.
He turned to one of the lead soldiers. “Okay, Jackson—we got to get into those buildings and take out the snipers. Take the right building—” The head of the man standing beside Jackson exploded, spraying Kane and Jackson with blood and bone. “Better get moving, Jackson,” Kane said without missing a beat.
And the soldier took off.
A quick glance to see that the rest of his men were still in place. Good. Nobody backing away a few meters after that grisly display—everyone standing their ground.
He caught the eye of another grunt and pointed at the building to the right that Jackson had just entered. “You, too. Go!”
More explosions—and talking was useless. But Kane did some quick jabs in the air, telling another group of marines to start moving, signaling that they were to follow him. The rest kept up the street-level firefight. While armored support kept trading blasts with the tanks, the two groups entered the nearby buildings.
Kane led his men upstairs, crossing places where the steps ended at a giant hole, a chunk of staircase to nowhere suspended in the air like something from a nightmare. Outside he could hear the whistling of the gunfire, the exploding shells.
Doom 3™: Worlds on Fire Page 3
