Stories_update_instafreebie

by Autumn Birt

Arinna hesitated. “We think so. Former Americans comprise many of the members, but ... it looks international and like it has always been international. I don’t know if a terrorist group reached out to rebels as the USA cracked down or if rebels reached out to other terrorist groups.”

  Her phone buzzed again. She checked the caller, answering without greeting and setting it down again without speaking. “Conference call at one,” she said, rubbing her eyes.

  “Wouldn’t it be easier for you to go in ... not that I want you to leave,” Michael added at Arinna’s glance.

  “Hah, no. With the lockdown on the base, I’d be lucky to leave and I wouldn’t get back in. NATO wants someone here. That person gets to be me. Besides,” she said with a serious look. “After a direct attack on government seats, NATO isn’t taking any risks. We and pieces of the UN are just about all that is functioning as a governing body at the moment. Everyone is scattered to different locations to minimize any further losses.”

  Jared glanced at Michael to read his reaction. Michael swallowed down his worry. “Makes sense,” he said.

  “I still can’t believe it. I know I saw it yesterday. But how did we not see this coming?” Jared asked.

  “If there is one thing the FLF is good at, it is hiding what it is about to do. There is no chatter, no email ... maybe it sends letters. We haven’t figured it out yet.”

  “Maybe they were military or FBI and are using a more secure system?” Michael asked.

  “God, I hope not,” Arinna replied, flopping back in her chair.

  “So are we going to surrender?”

  “I really don’t know,” Arinna answered Michael. “Everyone is really shaken between what was done to the USA and the attacks here. They took out every government in less than an hour. If we hadn’t started centralizing the military and communications ...” Arinna’s phone rang again. She walked out of the room while answering it.

  “Do you really think we’ll surrender?” Jared asked. “After everything they did, we’d say ‘sure, have Europe!’“

  Michael snorted. “I don’t know. When people are scared, they either fight like mad or beg for their lives. I’m sure we’ll look for allies, but who wants to go up against a group that annihilated the most militarized country in the world ... while keeping most of the weapons?”

  “You put it that way and I don’t want to fight them.”

  Jared finished his beer, staying awhile longer before heading off to talk to his girlfriend who was still in France. Michael watched Arinna work, grateful in a way he couldn’t express that she was there on base. They’d never shared military housing before, neither having made that sacrifice despite their marriage. The decision to take a post in Europe had altered so many of their plans and decisions.

  It was that thought arising while he watched her pace on her conference call that hauled another into daylight. He waited until the call was done and she was settled again before joining her in the tiny living room become makeshift office.

  “If you are going to be the liaison on base, we should get you a real office,” Michael said, not ready to say what was on his mind.

  “True. But then I wouldn’t be sharing secrets with you and your new mate.”

  “Jared,” he said, knowing she’d forgotten his name but wouldn’t ask for it.

  “Right. Jared. South African via France. Good pilot?”

  “Yes. Not bad. He’ll do,” Michael teased. “So the call? Do we belong to the FLF?”

  “Not yet,” Arinna replied. “And probably not for a while. No one knows who has the authority to make that decision much less be the spokesperson to handle negotiations with the FLF.”

  “We are truly a mess,” Michael said, realizing the enormity of what was happening again. He walked behind where Arinna sat and rubbed her shoulders. She leaned back into his hands, head resting on his stomach.

  “I didn’t think to ask earlier, Byran ... he wasn’t?”

  Arinna tensed under his fingers, relaxing again with the next breath. “No. He’d left early to head somewhere to meet his friend Derrick. Otherwise ... it was just luck he wasn’t there. He’s fine.”

  “Good. I’m glad.” Arinna cracked an eye open to look up at him. “Really, I am!” Michael protested. “He’s helped us. Though I am very happy to hear he has a girlfriend.”

  Arinna jabbed at him with her elbow, but it was playful. The relief of it washed through him. Michael leaned down and kissed her, more passionately than he intended.

  They were still curled up together when Arinna’s phone rang. Half asleep, it sounded more insistent than normal to Michael. He roused fully as Arinna swept up the phone. Her expression turned grim with whatever news she listened to.

  “Someone decided they were in charge and accepted the FLF’s offer?” he asked as she put down the phone.

  “No. Russia decided it was not accepting it. They launched a strike against what they believe to be an FLF base in Kazakhstan.”

  “You’re serious? Without asking for assistance or ...”

  “Well, the good news is that the action galvanized the rest of EU to fight. I’m sure we’ll offer help. Hopefully Russia didn’t just pull us into a war we can’t win.”

  —

  The choice to fight had been thrust on them. First, by the FLF attacks and then by Russia’s response. But once made, Europe embraced battle as if born to it.

  As he flew his fighter low over the Russian countryside, Michael made out skirmishes in the streets. This was the war he hadn’t watched America dissolve into. It was the one he fought to keep out of Europe. He sped past the random firing between buildings, Jared echoing his flight pattern. When he saw the armored tanks and RPGs, he knew he’d found their target. Then he stopped worrying.

  “I don’t think they’re expecting us,” Jared said over the comm.

  “I haven’t heard the FLF has planes, but I’m sure it has have surface to air missiles. Don’t get too brash. Swing back around and let’s light up their tanks,” Michael replied.

  They did dodge fire, but most of it was too slow for their planes. Or the FLF hadn’t figured out the timing between launch and target passing overhead. A blast vibrated his plane, but the shell was far enough away that the shrapnel didn’t hit.

  “Good thing they aren’t using smart missiles ... or heat seeking,” Jared said. “We just have to make sure we don’t fly into the things they are tossing skyward.”

  “True,” Michael said. “I’ll ask Arinna about that. They are using a lot of older equipment.”

  “Like they rifled through some old stockpiles?”

  “That’s exactly what I’m starting to wonder. Too bad we can’t take a missile home with us. We could find out where it was from.”

  “Hah, if you want to volunteer to catch one ...”

  Michael laughed at Jared’s tone. Another explosion to his right swayed his plane. “Jared?” Michael shouted.

  “Dammit that was almost under my nose. Where are the friggen Russian fighters?”

  “Running operations over Kazakhstan. We get this front. It’s closer to Europe.”

  “Swell. I’m down to bullets. How many more run-throughs we doing?”

  “One more, then back to forward base. Save some ammo for the flight home.”

  They’d just made the turn to head west when base came over the line. “Orders are to fly over Salsk for visual recon on the forward line. Come home via Rostov-on-Don.”

  Michael plugged the route into the computer. He wasn’t happy. “Negative. We don’t have fuel enough for alternate route.” The lined hissed as he waited.

  “There are reports of high levels of fighting near Salsk. We need you to confirm heavy armament.”

  His reaction was to tell them to drop someone in Salsk a comm unit. Or pick up the phone to see if the lines were open. Michael gritted his teeth. “Will do. We’ll be coming in on fumes. Please clear the air and give us preference for landing.”

  “Jared, we’re diverting o
ver Salsk. Run as efficient as possible to save fuel.”

  “Shit.”

  “That is a yes, correct?”

  “Roger. Here’s hoping we don’t run into anything we need to dodge.”

  Michael was hoping they didn’t run into anything that required more than a few dozen bullets.

  The forward base in Cherkaske made the NATO Component base feel like it had been a vacation. Of course, having his wife next to him every night had made anywhere feel less military. But Cherkaske was all regiment and fighting. Flight shifts were tight. A few planes didn’t make it home. Considering the diversity of aircraft and rarity of experienced pilots, each loss left an impact. Here, now, he felt like he was at war.

  He didn’t tell Arinna the personal details when he spoke to her over the vid that night. Jared’s plane had been sputtering when they’d come in for landing. He was a good pilot to land it without panicking. The swear words were completely understandable.

  “Old armaments ... like what?”

  “Mid-last century. No guided missiles or heat seeking. Stuff you’d have seen in the 1980’s or earlier.”

  “That’s old. I’ll look into who would have had stockpiles of that sort lying around ... and not reported missing.” Arinna’s expression on the screen shaded thoughtful.

  “Might be able to find the home of our FLF friends?”

  “We can hope. Best way to end this nonsense would be to cut off their head. How is it out there?”

  “Well I swear I saw someone using a sword to fight today.”

  Arinna chuckled. “I could see that. Especially if the fighting gets as far as Europe. There are more swords lying around than guns. This isn’t the USA. I don’t even think there is one gun per house.”

  “Yeah, the FLF would sweep through,” Michael answered, ignoring the flutter of fear. “They won’t get that far. You know, what would help is a ground network,” Michael continued before Arinna could ask about the look that he was sure had crossed his face. He’d never been able to hide much from her. Distracting her was his best bet. “How is the formation of a government going?”

  She frowned, glancing away. That said more than any words. “I almost think Russia had it right. Have the most senior surviving member of the armed forces declare control, shoot anyone who says otherwise, and retaliate.”

  “Yeah, well no one has ever won a land war against them.”

  “True. We’re pulling together any surviving senators or ministers, trying to base something on the old European Union with bits of the UN assembly thrown in. I’d say it will never work, but the fight in Russia has everyone spooked. Enough that where they are meeting is such a secret that even I don’t know, and Eldridge is one of the Secretaries! I’m sure they’ll figure out some means to give someone authority and pull together a true military soon.”

  “Hopefully very soon. What are they going to do, draw straws for the Prime Minister position?”

  “It would be faster than an election! How close is the fighting?”

  “Elista is the furthest north-west as yet. They had us run visual surveillance today. Aren’t there any satellites working?”

  “A few, but we’re hunting the globe for trouble.”

  “Then find the local units and tie them into the network. If we stay separate, we’ll run parallel missions and spread ourselves too thin,” he said, running a hand through his buzz cut.

  “That’s ... true. I’ll see what we can do. What about you?” she asked, tone warmer. “I miss you.”

  “I’m okay. I miss you too. Jared watches my back.”

  “And you watch his. I want to see you soon so badly ... but I’m afraid that will be because there are troops marching into Europe.”

  “It could be just as easy because this is over.”

  “I know. I’d believe it more if we had a better idea of what is coming next.”

  “You’ll figure it out. You’re the ace tactician. I’m the pilot.”

  “And I love you.”

  “I love you too. Good night.”

  Michael signed off, sitting in the darkened room where a few tears didn’t seem so out of place. He brushed them off his cheek before rising. Jared said he’d meet him for a beer. That sounded like a great idea.

  —

  “Guard Command needs to talk to you, sir.”

  As happy as Michael was that Europe had managed to pull together a government and centralized military, every time they called him it came with greater responsibility. He wondered which base blew up this time.

  It had been a month since he’d last seen Arinna. Since then the storm of fighting had swallowed a large chunk of Russia as it dissolved into chaos. But it hadn’t crossed into Europe yet. At least not the front line. Unrest and attacks happened daily. A bad day was when a military outpost or command disappeared in a blast of light. The forward base at Cherkaske was one of those now gone. It had been obliterated by magnetic bombs stuck to returning fighters. So much for old tech being obsolete. It was taking down Europe’s military. That was why he kept the flight squadron that had fallen into his control on alert constantly.

  He and Jared had been returning when Cherkaske detonated ahead of them. Whatever had been packed in the bombs hitching a ride had been powerful, or well timed to wait until the planes were being reloaded with weapons and fuel. The flash had left an after image for minutes. Being far enough away, and in the air saved a small squadron. The fight having moved closer to base gave them enough fuel to divert to the nearest airport in Dnipropetrovsk. In memory, they called themselves the 25th Airborne, keeping a remnant of the base alive. The stitched together government and military hardly cared what a squadron called itself as long as it fought.

  “Captain Prescot of the 25th here, sir.”

  “We need you to pull back to the base in Ozerne to provide tangent coverage for western Europe as well as the ongoing mission in Russia. Two more squadrons will join you there and be placed under your command. You will be given a promotion once Guard Leadership is fully functional. Congratulations, Captain.”

  What could he say but “thank you” and “when?” He checked the feeds to determine what was really going on, pacing until he could call Arinna for news that they didn’t want to send over open lines. If they were pulling him back, it could only mean what he thought was the front line wasn’t. Or they didn’t expect it would hold.

  “Brazil signed a peace treaty with the FLF,” Arinna told him later.

  “Shit. You mean they surrendered?” Michael asked.

  “Basically,” Arinna replied with a sigh. “After taking down the USA, not many countries are anxious to fight them. Most have problems enough. I really don’t think the EU would have fought if not for Russia.”

  “How are they doing this, launching a worldwide campaign? It doesn’t seem possible.”

  “They prepared,” Arinna answered. Her pause weighted the words. “I think the FLF goes back decades, before Lempert and HALO even. It looks like when countries began to scramble to mitigate climate change and protect agriculture, some groups – a group – started preparing to take over whatever country rode out the impacts the best.”

  Michael hesitated. Arinna was not someone to jump to conclusions, but the level of conspiracy and planning she implied was hard to believe. “That would have taken hundreds of people across the world,” he finally replied.

  “I can trace purchases of weapons, lots of weapons, from various government depots around the world. All legitimate, all from different people and banks. The only connection is the pattern. The weapons were bought en masse and then disappeared.”

  “If it all tied back to the FLF, then it could have armaments and people in every country,” Michael said, wiping his hand across his face. “Shit. I was hoping for good news today. You know they are pulling us back to Ozerne?”

  “Of course. Congratulations on your promised promotion,” she teased.

  “Nothing to do with you, that?”

  “Hah, no.
You are doing well. Other bases ... well, you’ve heard the ones we’ve lost.”

  “Yeah. I keep this one locked down. What should I expect in Ozerne?”

  “You won’t like it, but I don’t think you’ll be there long,” Arinna answered.

  He sighed. “Maybe I’ll see you soon?”

  “At the rate you are going, you’ll end up back here as part of the new Guard Command.”

  “As long as I can see you ... and bring Jared. He’s half the success. You know the troops call it the Grey Guard?”

  “Because of the mish-mashed uniforms?”

  “I think I’ve heard a hundred reasons, but it seems to be sticking. Not like anyone in authority has put a stop to it.”

  “Not like there is anyone other than politicians in authority at the moment. The best you have is me and a few veterans of various battles. The Council on Defense is at least organized, but we need better ties to the scattered troops trying to help Russia.”

  “If we want to win, we need more than that.”

  “I know,” Arinna said with a frown. “Eldridge and a few other Secretaries are forming an emergency government.” Arinna spoke cautiously, sending a nervous chill through him.

  “Which country is backing it?”

  Arinna shook her head. “Which country has a government to back it? Or a way to vote for it?”

  “Shit. What is going on there?”

  Arinna snorted. “We are under attack, the few senators alive aren’t agreeing on a temporary government, and we need to fight back. I don’t like it, but it might be our best chance. You’ll love the name,” Arinna said, more lightheartedly. Michael waited. “MOTHER,” she told him.

  “You’ve got to be kidding.”

  “Hah, no. Someone on Eldridge’s staff – someone else,” Arinna said, pointedly when Michael snickered, “came up with it. It stands for Ministry Operations Targeting Holistic Emergency Response.”

  “Sure it does.”

  Arinna laughed. It cut through him. The need for information gave them a chance to talk, but he missed her. The laughter and her smile reminded him of other times and other dreams. He didn’t know if he’d live to see them. They signed off soon after that. Michael went to check on the preparations for the transition to the new base in an effort to keep his thoughts in the present. Exhaustion finally led him to his bed.