by T. J. Mines
Next is the woman. Ismael doesn't like it when he has to kill anyone, but women are worse. Looking at the woman he killed himself breaks his heart. This lady could've been anyone's lover, mother or even grandmother. Maybe not a grandmother, she looks too young for that. The woman fell on her back when Ismael shot her, the rifle fell next to her. Careful not to displace anything Ismael stands over the woman. He pats her down and finds another knife. When he looks through here many pockets he finds a folded piece of paper. Opening it, he reads in Arabic.
Go to Du Bois and scout the defenses. Use the tunnels.
-- Cesar
"Captain!" Ismael says as he stands up, "They have been send here by the Al Bari president."
"What?" says the Captain, "how do you know?"
"This one has her orders, from Cesar himself."
"Are you sure?"
"I guess so," Ismael takes another good look at the orders. "It's his seal on the bottom."
"Let me look."
Ismael hands over the paper.
"What would they mean by the tunnels?" Ismael asks.
"Maybe the way they should have left Al Bari? I don't know. Let me take a closer look on this stamp."
Ismael gets down to the woman again. Turning her over reveals a bag she must've fell on. Inside are more papers and writing gear. Leafing through them he finds maps and landmarks drawn on most of the papers. One map, named Du Bois, is not finished yet. He takes out the paper and wonders at the craftsmanship. The details are incredible acurate and must have taken them a long time to get right. That must mean they have been there for a long time. The map displays the south part of Du Bois, but contains something Ismael doesn't recognize.
"It is his seal," confirms the Captain, "the dragon and the wolf are both too perfect to be fake."
"Here, look at this," Ismael says as he hands over the unfinished map, "do you know of any underground structure here?"
The Captain takes the map from Ismael. Still wearing the monocle he used to look at the orders he peers at the drawings on the next paper.
"I don't know," he says, deep in thought, "we should be standing right over it if it is here."
Ismael looks around. Just over the ridge is Peggy in the vehicle they came in, still scanning the horizon. More to the left is Frank, looking at the grounds surrounding the enemy camp. Ismael stands up and walks over to the camouflage used by the scouts. It's made out of material capable of hiding heat signatures. This is not something you buy in a shop in any town. He picks up a corner and looks below. Hidden below is a metal hatch.
"I guess we are standing on top of it," he says and takes away the tarp to show it to the Captain.
"Captain to base, Captain to base, come in."
"Base here, what's up?"
"We need reinforcements," an annoyed Captain responds, "I need the rover. And an extra security detail."
"Will do."
"Oh, and ready the dozer and dump truck, we need to clean this up here."
"Yo, no probs."
The operator on duty is in a jovial mood, giving the Captain the impression he doesn't take his job seriously. That needs to be fixed. But not now. The security risk at hand is more important. This tunnel, or whatever it turns out to be, shouldn't be here at all. During the first years after the nuclear eruption across the ocean, when the world was dark, a general decided to take up the town as his fortress against enemy forces coming from the south. To improve the chances of survival he ordered everything around the city walls to be destroyed, leveled to the ground, so he could have a clear view all around the town. There were no structures left standing, and no record of any tunnels either.
Tunneling in this climate was impossible. You couldn't get a shovel in the ground even during the warm season. The permafrost was exactly that, permanent. So if there are tunnels, they must have been here before the ice came. And that means these tunnels could lead all the way to the city walls. There is no way of knowing though, not without checking it all out.
While they wait for the backup the Captain and Ismael finish their top side investigation. They put all the evidence they want to research further into the buggy. Peggy parked the vehicle right on the side, behind the ridge, while Frank finishes his round. Except from the bike tracks, nothing disturbed the ground around the site, either showing an exceptional skill by the three people, or more reason to believe they came from below grounds.
Just as Frank's report is done the MPV arrives. A full security detail climbs out, donned in protective gear and carrying heavy automatic weapons. The Captain distributes them around the site. The last one out of the armored vehicle is a tech with the rover remote.
"Sir!" he salutes, "the rover is ready for action!"
"Don't salute me," the Captain scowls at the man, "we're not in the army."
"I'm sorry sir," the tech says looking at his feet. The energy he came with lost after the rebuke.
"Never mind." the Captain says. Putting more excitement in his own voice he continues. "So the rover is ready. Is this the first time you've used it?"
That was a wrong question. Doubt spreads across the tech's face. He probably has more experience with it than anyone else in Du Bois. But since there hasn't been any incident where the rover was needed, the tech probably never used it in action.
"Yes sir," the tech answers, his mood now soured.
"Good! It's my first time too. Let's see what this baby can do for us. Can you get it out?"
The confession seems to empower the tech. His excitement returns as he keys on this remote and starts fiddling with the controls. From the back of the MPV a small tracked vehicle is lowered. As it hits the ground, the clamps holding it release. the rover gives a small shudder, as if unused to the freedom, and comes to life. A stalk with a camera extends from the top, giving the tech a 360 view around the rover. Next the thing starts moving. First away from them, then taking a sharp turn towards the site. In no time the rover is next to the hatch Ismael found.
While the rover trundled over Frank and Ismael setup a system to lower the rover. The three poles and winch can take the weight of the rover down a long way.
"You two," the Captain calls to two nearby guardsmen, "come over and help us. Cover the hatch as Ismael and Frank open it."
Doing as they are told, Ismael and Frank both grab the handle and wait for the guns to be trained on the possible thread below.
"Ready?" Ismael asks. At a nod from the Captain he and Frank pull the hatch open. It opens without a sound. Inside there is nothing but a black hole in the ground.
"Lights," the Captain orders. Ismael clicks his flashlight on and points it at the hole. A wooden ladder descends a ways down to a open space surrounded by sandbags. More than that they can't see.
The Captain, reaching out towards one of the guards, grabs a flash-bang grenade and pulls the pin. He drops it into the hole, stepping back with the rest to wait for the explosion. It goes off, sending the loud sound echoing below, indicating a large space below their feet.
"Lower the rover," comes the next order of the Captain.
Frank and Ismael place the winch over the hole and attach it to the rover. Winching it down the tech keeps a close watch on his remote. After what seems like a long time the rover touches the bottom. The 360 camera shows nothing but sandbags in the low light from above. The tech flips a switch and the rover lights up, illuminating the space all around it. Now he can see what's down there. Another switch opens a new window on his screen, showing the view from a new, forward facing, camera. The tech rotates the rover, trying to find a way out into the space beyond the sandbags. An on-screen compass indicates it's facing north, toward the city, when he finds a spot where the wall seems to allow for passage.
The Captain, glued to the rover's remote screen, gives the order to continue.
Rolling the rover between two walls of bags the view changes. They are in some sort of spiraling maze. According to the compass the exit is two full circles later. As they round the la
st bend a gunners nest comes into view, containing a large caliber rifle on a tripod and again covered with sandbags. Behind it, just at the edge of the light, a rusted old car is visible.
There are no people in sight, so the Captain asks the tech to move on and check the nest in front of them. Surrounding the mounted gun is a campsite, complete with stove, enough wood to last a month and stores of food and water to last even longer.
Curious by the car behind the camp the tech turns the rover. Now that the light extends further down they can see more cars. All rusted husks without tires or windows. The cars, arranged in four rows, look like they've been parked.
"This is a parking garage," Ismael says.
"It must've been," says the Captain, "It must have been here for a long time."
"It looks safe, shall we get down ourselves?" Ismael asks, eager to find out more about the place.
The Captain looks at the tech who flips another switch to enable the heat sensors on the rover. The view on screen changes and after a good examination of the readings the tech gives a thumbs up.
"Okay, let's go. You two, keep guarding this place. The four of you, join us below."
The Captain is the last to reach the bottom of the ladder. Ismael descended just before him. His eyes are still adjusting to the lack of light down here. The group donned their tactical gear helmets with attached flashlights and camera's to have their hands free for more important stuff, like armaments. Looking around at the space confined by the numerous sandbags Ismael can imagine some people could feel claustrophobic here. He doesn't think it will bother him much, but who knows? He's never been in a place as eerie as here.
"Com check", the tech from above says through the communication system.
They all confirm the message was received.
"Sander, take point," the Captain says as he adjusts his pack.
Sander walks up to the exit from the temporary room. Lee and Marjory step behind him with Ismael and the Captain following. Chitra ends the procession. They take up a slow walk through the corridor of fabric and sand, following the path the rover took. Like the rover they encounter no resistance in the slow trek round the entrance. Soon they reach the gunner's nest with the rover standing next to it.
"Well, that went smooth," Ismael says.
"What did you expect?" Chitra asks, "an ambush?"
"No, but you never know what's going to happen. Better be careful when you enter unknown terrain."
"But the rover detected no heat signatures. It's all clear down here," Lee says.
"They masked their infrared emittance up to too, so why can't they do that down here? I would. Especially if I know my mates on the lookout got shot to death." Ismael looks the Chitra and Lee in the eye as he explains his reasoning.
"Quiet," the Captain scowls at the three of them, "Ismael is right, and you three bickering doesn't help."
Ismael nods and starts to confirm what the Captain said.
"I said you three, that means you too Ismael," the Captain adds, looking at him, "Start the reconnaissance instead."
Put back in his place Ismael goes back to the job at hand. He looks around at the garage around them. He can see more than on the monitor with the tech. Around the gunner's nest is a loose circle of car wrecks, two rows deep. Standing with his back to the entrance he can just make out the back wall. The corners are too far away for the light to reach.
Together they start for the back wall. They find car bits strewn around, most of it rubber and glass. Splitting up in two groups they circle back to where they started along the wall. Ismael, taking the left with the Captain and Marjory, almost trips over what used to be a frame. The glass once contained by the frame crunches under foot. Apart for some discarded utensils they see nothing of importance.
Back at their starting point the other three report their findings, also nothing. They did go a bit further into the garage and saw a compact row of cars, almost like a barrier.
"So, what's next? You want to go up or find out what's behind the cars in the back?" Sander asks the Captain.
"We send in the rover first," he decides.
"Are you sure? We can't see the images down here. What if the tech misses something?" Marjory objects, "What's his name anyway?"
"His name is Xabier," Ismael answers, "and he is very good at this stuff. Once, he noticed…"
"As Ismael says, we can trust the man," the Captain interrupts, "and what's more important, the rover is expendable, you aren't."
Lee and Chitra, not participating in the conversation, keep watch on the space around them.
"Shh!" Lee says, "I hear something."
The group silences and try to look in the direction Lee is focusing. There is no sound except for their collective breathing and the soft purr of the rover.
"Lights out, night vision on," the Captain directs, also in his com-system.
Switching over to the infrared spectrum drains their batteries faster, but gives them the stealth they need if there are others down here with them. The others, almost for sure from Al Bari, can't have good intentions being down here. The darkness is not yet absolute. There is light filtering from the hatch. Also, now their own light sources are gone, they can see a soft glow further down the garage.
The Captain signs for silence from now on. Using a keypad on his arm he sends short messages into the goggles everyone is now wearing. Xabier, up top, can see the same messages on his remote.
Rover point, is the first one.
Xabier confirms the order and moves the rover into position. The others take the same order as before, weapons drawn and ready for action.
Move, the Captain types.
The rover starts around the makeshift room of sandbags towards the barrier of cars.
Lights, Xabier reports.
Just beyond the cars is a point of light flickering. They all stop and move behind a car. Ismael, recognizing it as Morse code, translates for the rest of the group.
Enemy group ahead, six strong, one rover, he types.
Been made, how many rover, the Captain asks.
Unknown, no heat, Xabier answers after a scan across the row of cars.
How, Sander asks.
Camouflage tarp, like top side, Ismael answers.
Know one location, Chitra types, then takes aim at where the light was signing before.
The Captain looks at Ismael. Unable to read his face Ismael assumes it's a question on what he would do. Ismael shrugs and nods at Chitra. The Captain looks down in thought for a short moment, then looks at Ismael again. A small nod of confirmation gives Ismael the approval to take action.
Ismael moves next to Chitra and taps her on the shoulder to give him some space. He grabs a grenade from his pack and puts it in the launcher attached to his weapon. Looking back at the group he can see them moving back behind the sandbags. Chitra stays with him, guarding against enemy fire.
Ismael pulls the trigger. A soft thump echos through the garage, followed by a chink of metal hitting metal.
"Grenade!" Ismael can hear someone shouting near where he dropped the explosive.
From the other side of the garage a gun fires, hitting the car Chitra and Ismael are sitting behind. Then the grenade explodes, lighting up the garage and showering bits of metal all over. At least one person behind the barrier is hit, screaming in pain. Others must have troubles seeing now, the light almost overpowered Ismael's goggles and he wasn't as close to the blast as the culprits he just attacked.
Chitra, noting where the gunshot came from, now grabs a grenade and aims at the second location they need to clear. Another thump and chink indicate the explosive device landed near where at least one other person should be.
"Shite! Here too!" someone shouts from the right.
Heat signatures, four right, two left, going center, is the message from Xabier, watching the fight from the rover's camera's, as the second grenade explodes.
Ismael loads another grenade, indicating Chitra should do the same. They both aim
at the center of the barrier.
Say when, Ismael types to Xabier, who immediately sends the signal to launch the grenades.
The grenades hit the ground behind the barrier, between the enemy and a possible escape route in the back of the garage. The two explosives detonate, sending a dual shock wave outward. It takes a few moments for the residual heat to subside before Xabier can report on casualties.
Got them all, he says, three dead, three injured.
The others come out of their hiding and the whole group starts advancing towards the car barrier. Taking careful steps towards the first spot where they found resistance, they soon see a place to get through to the other side. Just behind the rows of cars is a camouflage net covering a small camp site like setup. At least it used to be. The folding chairs and table are thrown about by the explosion a few minutes earlier. Ismael spots two men, one of which has his gut spilled all over a set of domino stones. The other is still alive, albeit unconscious at the moment. He has lost a leg and the copious amount of blood around him is about to kill him if they don't do anything to save him.
He needs help, Ismael types on his keypad.
Don't bother. The Captain has a hard look on his face.
Ismael looks the Captain in the eye, asking to have mercy on the man bleeding to death in front of them. The Captain shakes his head and gestures to go on to the other side of the garage. As Ismael turns to join the rest of the task force a hand falls on his arm.
"We can't save him," says the soft voice of the Captain in Ismael's ear, "the best we can do is stop his suffering."
The Captain takes a knife out of a hidden sheath and slices the man's throat. A soft gurgling indicates the last breaths, then the man falls silent.
