Information Cloud: Science fiction and fantasy series (Tales of Cinnamon City Book 1)

by Peter James West

  Thompson hadn't even notified him that they were coming. He would make all this abundantly clear in his debriefing when the operation was over. Despite the complete lack of communication, Nick was still glad that reinforcements had arrived. Without them he would have been powerless against the Kamari forces that had suddenly appeared on the west side of Havers Compound. Already the casualties were rising on both sides.

  Nick leant against a waist-high, crumbling stone wall that had once divided the room into two. It had suffered some ill fate many years ago, resulting in an open-plan appearance to what had once been two separate rooms. Strangle-weed had dug itself into several deep cracks in the wall, spreading across much of the exposed surface. It was typical of the interior of Havers Compound. It had a disparate mix of old decaying infrastructure interspersed with sections that had been recently refurbished. He wondered why the Kamari had only altered certain parts of the compound. Perhaps they hadn't yet had time to complete their work?

  Rolling his head from side to side, he tried to relieve the tightness in his neck and shoulders. He couldn't seem to shake it off. It had been a long day. He was finding it hard to concentrate. He felt bad about letting Thompson recall Rachel in the middle of the operation, but what else could he have done? Thompson was the Admiral. Nick could not oppose her orders, however foolish they may be.

  Nick brushed his hair back with one hand. He found himself worrying about Rachel more and more. They weren't together anymore. She wasn't his responsibility, but she was still the mother of his child. He still loved her. It felt strange saying that, even to himself. He hadn't admitted it for a long time. Once the thought had brought him pleasure, now it only brought him pain. The regrets piled up as the years went by. Some days he found it hard not to hate himself. On those days he thought about Lisa. She was the best thing that had ever happened to him.

  He hadn't seen his daughter as often as he wanted to. It had been difficult since Rachel had broken up with him. His duties as a commander had all too often taken precedence over his duties as a father. Rachel had not been slow to point out his failings. It wasn't easy at times. He still remembered Lisa's smiling face, and how happy she had been when he had taken her to see the orange groves.

  How long had it been? Three weeks? Four? Weeks passed. Months came and went. He was determined to be a better father, somehow. He would take some time off, when he could. He wanted to spend more time with his daughter. It wasn't going to be easy, but he had to start somewhere. He had to find a way. Nick struggled with his conscience. He loved his daughter but he couldn't let himself get too caught up in his own problems right now. As always, his duties as a commander had to come first. He was the leader of the Beacon Attack Force. A lot of soldier's lives still depended on him. He had to keep a clear head for their sake if not his own.

  He remembered what Harris had said about the satellite-grid controller. Some hacker was using it to threaten Cinnamon City. The controller had to be here somewhere. If he could only disable it before anyone could use it again, things might get a lot simpler for everyone. The satellite strikes had destroyed Edwards' Croc and left the others so damaged as to be unusable. He hated to think what such a weapon could do to the civilian population back in the city.

  Dust trickled down from a crack in the ceiling. Nick pulled a synthetic snack bar from his pocket and chewed on the end of it. He had to concentrate on what was going on around him. The battle was still evolving. Having more than one Commander sharing responsibility for the day's events certainly wouldn't harm his future career options. He had no intention of becoming the only scapegoat for this debacle. He had done what he thought was right, based upon the information that he had been given. He could not be held responsible for the satellite strikes. All the satellite-grid controllers were meant to be held in secure facilities back at Central Command. He had no idea how the Kamari had got their hands on one, and he didn't much care. All that would come out after the operation was over.

  Riser Trent was another matter altogether. His damned flying drones had ruined the operation's chances of success from the outset. Now he had the satellite-grid controller as well? How was that even possible? Something had gone badly wrong somewhere. Nick tried to steady his racing mind. This was where he was. He couldn't change what had already happened. He had to start from now and turn this operation around.

  Maybe Rodnig was doing better than Nick thought? He could see some level of organisation on his console, but it was still difficult to see what was really going on. It was Admiral Gail Thompson who had the job of coordinating all the separate units that she had sent to Havers Compound. Nick wasn't going to accept responsibility for that. She hadn't even informed him that they were coming.

  Nick tossed his console onto the ground. It wasn't helping. Rodnig was in command of the reinforcements. If he needed Nick's help he could hail him through his comms unit. Nick had too many other things to think about right now. Spitting the remnants of the synthetic snack bar onto the floor, he set off in search of the satellite-grid controller. Since the Kamari were moving large numbers of troops to the West, maybe they knew something that Nick didn't? That wouldn't be difficult, he had to admit. He drew his impact pistol and followed the exodus at a safe distance, keeping his eyes open for any more damned surprises.

  Pulling Out

  Walstone Forest hung over the edge of the battlefield like a shadow of impending death. The rain formed thin grey lines across a black sky and the trees were barely visible in the darkness between flashes of gunfire and plasma grenades. Muddy ploughed fields separated the forest from Havers Compound. Damaged vehicles lay abandoned and broken, and blood had mingled with the mud, leaving crimson puddles across the ground. The rain fell. Darkness closed in, but the battle of Havers Compound raged on.

  The Security forces came running out of the compound. Explosions ripped through the shattered white stone buildings behind them. Men fell or were thrown into the air in a hail of fire and smoke. An intense fire fight roared across the western side of the building. Voices cried out into the night as the Security Forces regrouped on the open fields in front of the compound. They gathered around vehicles that approached from other parts of the battlefield, mounting a consolidated defence beneath a dark and foreboding sky. The Security Forces fought back with everything they had. The air was filled with orange tracer lines as projectiles, sped back and forth between opposing forces.

  The Kamari were visible now, hundreds of them pouring onto the fields in their white padded combat suits with thin black belts and blue berets. They surged out of Havers Compound like a rising tide, pushing the Security Forces along with them. Those closest to the compound struggled in hand to hand combat with fists and knives. Others were cut down by impact fire from all sides. The Kamari put up a fierce barrage of hostile fire that continued to force the Security Forces back across the fields. Deafening explosions lit up the sky at intervals. Hand-held proton cannons obliterated men, walls and vehicles, wherever they were pointed.

  The Kamari's floating black spheres appeared from several portals along the edge of the compound, drifting onto the crowded battleground before exploding, tearing soldiers apart. Men cried out as bright flashes lit up the sky behind them and shock waves shook the ground.

  Commander Rodnig stood behind a temporary shield wall, made from broken vehicles and pieces of masonry that had been piled high to form a rudimentary barrier. His hand-held proton cannon was running low on power, but still he blazed its twin red beams across the Kamari soldiers in rapid burst mode. The beams sliced through flesh with ease, severing arms and legs, and bisecting men at the waist, cauterising the wounds as they fell. It was a horrible way to die. Havers Compound had become a living hell for all of them.

  Rodnig deactivated the beam when he saw Commander Chambers sprinting out from a hole in the compound wall.

  'Give him covering fire,' he called out to the men around him. 'Clear a route for Commander Chambers.' Rodnig pointed at Nick as he ran toward
s them.

  Renewed gunfire filled the night. Chambers didn't take long to reach them. His eyes shone as he took the last few steps and darted through a narrow gap in the shield wall.

  'You run well,' Rodnig said.

  Nick took a few short breaths before answering, 'It's amazing what the sound of so many guns can do for your agility and speed.'

  'Are you injured?' Rodnig said.

  'No, I'm fine. No thanks to the Kamari. Welcome to Havers Compound. Isn't it beautiful? Gail sent me here with just three Crocs. Can you fucking believe that?'

  'I can believe a lot of things.'

  'It's good to finally have some backup but we need to get these men out of here. It's too exposed.'

  Rodnig nodded, looking over his shoulder at the forest behind them, 'We don't have many options, Nick.'

  Nick shook his head as he stared at the chaos unfolding around him, 'We have to pull back into Walstone Forest.'

  'It's no good,' Rodnig said.

  'There are no good options here. If we stay out in the open, the Kamari will carve us up until there's no-one left. Their numbers are too great. We have to find better cover.'

  'It could be an ambush,' Rodnig said. 'How do we know that they don't have even more soldiers waiting for us in the forest?'

  'We don't, but if they do, we'll have a far better chance of fighting them amongst the cover of the trees than standing out here.'

  'Okay,' Rodnig said. 'I guess you're right. This is a shitty place to fight. We have to do something. I still don't like it though.'

  'Give the order,' Nick said. 'These are your units. I'll go on ahead.'

  'Where are you going?'

  'I'll catch up with you later. There's something I need to do.'

  'Stay safe. We've lost enough good men today already.'

  Nick nodded, slapping a hand on Rodnig's shoulder, 'You too. We can't let these bastards get the better of us.'

  Rodnig pulled his collar close to his mouth and started shouting orders into his comms unit. It took him several attempts to get through. He sent one of the men as a runner on a roach to make sure that the message had been received. Gradually, the Security Forces started pulling back towards the forest.

  Nick didn't wait for them. He nodded to Rodnig and ran towards the forest.

  Walstone Forest

  Roy led his sons, Isor and Jacob, deep into Walstone Forest. They headed towards the main Kamari encampment with slow, deliberate steps. Roy kept his head down as he walked, his eyes squinting into the rain. He held one hand high to shield his eyes from the falling rain. It was a cold night. His fingers felt frozen to the core. In his younger days such conditions wouldn't have bothered him at all. Clenching his fingers, he took long strides and watched his breath steaming in the cool night air.

  There had been a few problems, but for the most part, his plans were coming to fruition. The fool Security Forces were running straight into his trap. It was so easy to run rings around their commanders, jamming their communications and sending false messages of their own. The Security Forces hadn't even worked out that two of their runners were Kamari agents. They would soon discover the gravity of that mistake. It was far from the only foolish thing they had done today. Their first mistake had been attacking Havers Compound.

  Roy pulled his beret tight against his head until short tufts of thin grey hair protruded from both sides. The loss of the satellite-grid controller had been an annoyance that he could have done without. His only comfort was that he knew Trent had no chance of using it. Isor had reprogrammed the controller. Nobody outside of the Kamari would be able to crack those codes. Isor had spent months examining the controller's schematics, even before the Kamari had secured possession of it. He had modified its systems in several ways.

  First, he had installed additional security to prevent Central Command from using their own systems. He had then concentrated on upgrading the targeting algorithms, making it possible to launch strikes that were far more accurate than any that the Security Forces had ever managed to achieve. When Roy had launched his attack on the Beacon Attack Force, the initial strikes had been bang on target. The Security Forces had been immediately scattered and broken.

  Roy frowned into the rain. What bothered him the most was that while Trent had possession of the controller, Roy wouldn't be able to order any more satellite strikes himself. He couldn't believe the controller had been stolen. Some of the science-grade technicians had no sense at all. How could they allow the net-feed droids to get so close to the controller. Roy found himself missing the satellite-grid controller more than he cared to admit. The Security Forces, bunched together as they were, would have made excellent target practice.

  A strong wind drove the rain lashing into his face. His personal force field was designed to block hard projectiles, not wind and rain. He had to shake off his beret from time to time to stop water from accumulating on the rim and running into his eyes. The thought amused him. Technology had its uses, up to a point. Ignoring the miserable weather, he strode on towards the main camp.

  When Roy glanced over his shoulder, he saw Jacob following a few paces behind him, lost in his thoughts. He was puffing on a cigarette, and he looked as though he wanted to stray into some fighting just to release the tension. He had always been headstrong. If there was any more fighting, he would be the first to get involved in it. Isor was a little more considered in his actions, but he too had an eagerness for conflict that Roy couldn't quite understand. Isor walked ahead of them both, looking down at his hand-held scanner and mumbling something that was lost in the wind. His shoulders were slumped but Roy new that Isor was always alert.

  None of them were in the mood for talking. Roy kept his thoughts to himself, but he still wondered what his sons were thinking. He knew they talked about things when he wasn't around. What secrets did they keep between them? They were both intelligent. They listened to his orders but they had their own thoughts too. Jacob was working on something in his free time. He was evasive whenever Roy asked him about it.

  Tall trees spread their branches, forming a thick canopy across the dark sky above. The forest's sweet, earthy scents mingled with a hint of distant smoke.

  Roy and his sons followed the forest trails, their feet rustling through fallen leaves and tangled undergrowth. Roy checked the distance to the main camp, looking for features that he recognised from his previous visits. Up ahead, a wide old stump was split down the middle with thick dark moss growing down one side. It had been that way for many years. The stump marked a fork in the path ahead. He was about to call ahead, to remind Isor, when he noticed his son had already turned the right way. His sons knew the forest as well as he did. They had spent much of their youth living among the trees.

  Isor headed deeper into the dense forest, ducking between overhanging branches. The trail was carpeted with crisp leaves and small twigs that had fallen from the canopy above. At the next clearing, he paused and raised a hand to halt the others.

  Jacob was about to say something but Isor motioned for him to be silent. Roy tilted his head, listening. The three of them stood motionless, listening to the rain pattering on the leaf-covered ground. Moments later, a shrub exploded just ahead of them. A member of the Security Forces staggered out into the clearing before collapsing onto the ground with smoke rising from his torn, bloodstained jacket. He reached out with one hand, dragging himself half a pace along the trail, and then lay motionless, his face sinking into the dirt.

  'Was that you?' Roy said.

  Isor shook his head. Jacob scanned his eyes across the surrounding trees and then shrugged, flicking his cigarette onto the ground.

  Roy stared at the dark trees ahead, listening. The only sounds came from fighting far away. Whoever the soldier had been, he was dead now. Whoever had killed him had moved on, or maybe they hadn't wanted to show themselves, for whatever reason. Either way, it didn't matter now.

  Roy stepped over the body and continued along the trail. It really was an appalling
night to be out for a walk. 'Let's go,' he said.

  The three of them pushed westwards in silence, making their way through the wet undergrowth. Driving rain fell on the dense trees around them as they headed deeper and deeper into the forest.

  Lisa

  Lisa stood next to Annie's bed in her long, flowery night dress. Her thin arms clutched Puggles, a small cloth donkey with one eye.

  'What's wrong, honey?' Annie said, sitting up in bed. 'Can't you sleep?'

  Lisa shook her head, her sandy blonde hair hanging in curls just below her shoulders. She clutched Puggles tight with one hand as she pulled the bed sheets back, climbing in beside her nanny.

  Annie placed an arm around the little girl's waist, and smiled as she stared up at the shadows playing across the ceiling. She didn't want Lisa to know how worried she was.

  'Everything's okay,' she said. 'Try to get some sleep.'

  The window was open. Annie could hear heated voices coming from the street, eight levels below. Earlier she had peered out of the window and been surprised to see fifty armed soldiers thronging the building across the street. It was the Mekinet News building, the place where Rachel's father worked. Rachel hadn't said anything about expecting trouble in Cinnamon City.

  Annie slowed her breathing. Her heart was beating too fast again. She didn't want to upset Lisa. She was an adult and adults always knew what to do, didn't they?

  Yellow light shone across the bed sheets. When she looked down, the light went out.