The Cross of Mithras Vol. 1: EOD Operation Welcome to Hell

by Douglas Howell

  “I need to talk to Captain Maxwell immediately.” The Petty Officer mentioned over the intercom, to the appointed communications officer.

  “Sir I think that you need to see this video.” The Petty Officer then sent the video from her helmet-com system to Maxwell.

  “What am I looking at?” Maxwell asked her.

  “Sir I think these infected Ravers have some sort of rejuvenation property. As you can see after I shot this one twice in the face, it appears that the wounds started to heal.”

  “Thank you for the heads up. If you can hold out just a little longer we will be able to start napalming the area.” Maxwell mentioned.

  “What’s the ETA on that sir?”

  “As fast as the flight crew can make it here. I’m sorry to say but at their fastest speed it may take as long as two to three days for them to get to your location.”

  “Understood sir. Over and out.”

  “Hey, I’m still good to go. Just give me some more alcohol and I don’t mind torching these fuckers all day long.” Samantha mentioned with a sick smile that showed that she enjoys killing the infected Ravers. Her friends found her behavior amazing since Samantha was the flight coordinator for one of the cargo decks.

  “Yeah, well… we still need to take up a strong defensive position and watch our ammo.” The Petty Officer informed them. It was just her way of controlling Samantha’s blood lust. And so it went, unit after unit, hour after hour.

  “Is that the best you got you fuckers!” The Chief Petty Officer yelled at the top of his lungs at the infected Ravers. He was in another part of town moving with his unit to secure a choke point in an effort to prevent the infection from spreading to the core of the city.

  “You stupid motherfuckers! What the hell are you doing here!?” The Warrant Officer yelled out the police officer.

  “Look this is our city and…” The police officer was responding. It was at that moment that they were overrun by infected Ravers and what appeared to be other civilians.

  “Torch me goddamn it!” The Warrant Officer ordered the Crewman with the flamethrower. The Warrant Officer was fighting off three or four infected individuals who was also trying to rip open his nano suit. But to no avail. The Crewman came over and torched his commanding officer along with the infected. After thirty seconds the Warrant Officer stood up and raised up his right hand to order the Crewman to stop only that he’d got tackled by the police officers who became infected. The Crewman then had to torch his commanding officer yet again.

  “I’m out of Tabasco sauce!” The Crewman mentioned.

  “Alright. Where’s that damn fucking robot?” The Warrant Officer mentioned through his teeth.

  It took five minutes for the supply drone to get to them. In that time period the unit was almost overrun on three occasions. They had to fight constantly during that time period. Near the end it was nothing more than hand-to-hand combat. But once the Crewman got his Tabasco sauce it was all over. And yet they had to keep going to their next objective.

  Fighting was rampant everywhere within the city. Nobody could leave for the fear of spreading the contagion. All routes in or out of the city was block or destroyed. And yet the fighting was becoming more intense as the hours wore on. At one point the mayor’s HQ was almost overrun with high losses. The mayor was killed when it was assumed that he became infected. After everyone calmed down they realized their mistake.

  The media all over Golden Hyperion realized that Maxwell’s mistake may have become the salvation of the rest of the world. Neither Lenkov nor Omori would have been surprised. They called it, “The million dollar luck of Maxwell.” Nevertheless the media learned to take his advice into account when he warned them to “report with wings or end up like Icarus and fall to your death.” And the only thing that was shown was the nightmare that was steadily getting worse by the hour. It seemed that for every one infected person killed at least two or three replaced them.

  “All units retreat from the subway immediately! The subway is lost! Do not attempt to defend it! Get the hell out now!” The commanding officer shouted to his subordinates through the communicational system. In the background one could hear the screams and the horrors of war.

  “We need immediate artillery bombardment of the following coordinate: 20°50′N 89°0′W. Or the city center will be lost. Cannot hold ground without artillery support!” Another officer mentioned over the communicational system.

  “This is Green Team. We are hold up at the hotel at 5th and Jackson. We need immediate evac. We are running low on ammo. Oh dear god that was close. Please send help now.” The Warrant Officer pleaded over the communicational system.

  “This is Yellow Team to Green Team we are in route via air support. ETA two minutes. Oh shit! We’re hit! Bird going down! Repeat bird going down!”

  “This is Red Team we are currently moving to re-secure a location west of the city via air support. There are rumors that the contagion is trying to spread beyond the city limits. Moving to neutralize the contagion by any means necessary.”

  “This is Blue Team to Red Team. That position was lost twenty-four minutes ago. We are currently tracking the infection. We need you to gun down anyone north-by-northwest of our position. A small group of infected individuals headed in that direction. At least three to four of them may have been in a motor vehicle. Be advise that they also have RPG’s with them. They are obviously headed to a small town in the area. The population is at least 1,500.”

  “This is Master Chief Petty Officer Foster to Captain Iverson. I need you to torpedo my position. Or the infection will spread north of the city. God help us one and all.” The Master Chief pleaded with Iverson who promptly obeyed.

  “This is Jameson. I’m at the police headquarters near the city center. We got hit hard by the infection. I believe that most if not all of the police officers are infected. I’m all alone.”

  “The airport is lost! I need immediate artillery bombardment of the airport now! Hit everything at random! We can’t let them steal those planes!” The officer shouted over the communicational system a few seconds later he was killed by an artillery strike.

  Once the planes finally got to Silverton they had plenty of targets to choose from. For several hours they dropped napalm all over the city. They only stopped when they finally ran out of napalm. Golden Hyperion entire stock, which is enormous, was used on the city of Silverton and still it did not kill all of the infected. But it did had one single advantage.

  “This is Chief Petty Officer Jameson. I have KGL in my custody and need evac for her. Also, what are my orders?” Jameson mentioned.

  “Who’s KGL?” The communications officer asked.

  “This is Captain Maxwell to communication officer. KGL is to be considered a high priority target. She is rumored to be the source of the contagion. Jameson, is she secure and ready for transport?”

  “Yes sir. I wouldn’t have called if she wasn’t.”

  “Good job Jameson.”

  “Sir, I have no ammo. I’m separated from my team. I believe that they are trapped in the basement of the police station. I don’t know why but I can’t reach them. My position is not secure for I am in the lobby of the station. I was thinking about going to look for ammo, but it is risky.” Jameson mentioned. Out of all of Maxwell’s forces in the city who didn’t choose to get drunk, Jameson choose to remain sober while on duty. Yes Jameson does get drunk at times, but not like his comrades.

  “Just how secure is your position?” Maxwell asked.

  “The best weapon that I have sir, is both luck and time. And I do believe that I’m running out on that to.” Jameson responded.

  “Understood. Your ride’s ETA is five minutes.”

  “Sir I wanted you to know that the roof is safer for extraction.”

  “Understood. One moment please.” Maxwell stated. A few moments later he responded, “I can only give you an extra three minutes Jameson.”

  “Understood sir. Here’s the map of the
police station in case I don’t make it.”

  Chief Petty Officer Jameson did make it with his prisoner secured. He left the lobby with his prisoner and it wasn’t easy for him. Knowing that his prisoner can rejuvenate from her injuries he would slit her throat when the enemy was near. But that only happened twice. Nevertheless he found the ammo and he got the job done. He would later be rewarded with a promotion.

  Jameson almost took pride in killing Lady’s Man. (It actually enrage KGL which is one reason why he was able to capture her. [He used the butt of his gun to knock her out.]) The reason why he knew who they are was indirectly because of Sayaka. Serving under both Joseph and Sayaka kind of turned him into a fan. The first time that he met Sayaka he was awe struck. She realized it and just smiled. He caught her doing something very rare: wearing a kimono. And because she was wearing a kimono he almost didn’t recognized her. Through his vain attempt (he was too nervous in talking to her) in trying to strike a conversion with her (with her laughing in a affectionate way) he made the decision that he wanted a Japanese girlfriend/wife. He did mentioned that he was thinking about dating a Japanese woman and when Sayaka asked him why doesn’t he, he couldn’t answer it. She then said “Oh, you want to date one because you just met me?” When he smiled out of embarrassment she just laughed out loud and told him, “Learn the culture so that there is no cross cultural difference. Punctually is what wins us over, not the pursuit. And it doesn’t hurt to learn the language.” Jameson did as she suggested and ended up with a beautiful Japanese woman that he’d married. He gave her a child, a son who is five years old at the time that he is serving on Golden Hyperion. He also knows that he had just become the father of a beautiful daughter while he was at the police station. He only met Sayaka one more time when he was departing for Golden Hyperion. The only thing that she said to him is, “When is your wife due?”

  It’s not surprising that he would be a fan of both Joseph and Sayaka. They even had enemies who were. Only one enemy ship escaped Golden Hyperion without being destroyed when the captain asked to speak to either Joseph or Sayaka. It became clear that this captain was awe struck at the two. And because of how he handle himself, and the respect that he showed them, they allowed him to collect the survivors of all the cripple ships and leave the system. He was only allowed to get away with that because he showed both of them that he understood what they did. It’s okay to be a fan (showing a great deal of respect) of the enemy, just don’t become a traitor to your own people.

  The fate of KGL became a cruel one. She was taken back to the lab complex to be studied. She was always strapped to a examination table. She lay there for five days until all the scientists can be safely brought down to the lab complex. She never cried in all the length of time that they conducted their experiments upon her. Eventually she became the last of the infected and everyone simple forgot about her. The scientists themselves no longer view her as who and what she used to be, but as a guinea pig. Something to be experimented upon. It’s was only when Lenkov and Omori returned that the fate of KGL was changed. Sayaka came up to her and told her in Japanese that she was here to end her pain to give her the PLUR that she’d once seek. For the first time ever KGL cried when she heard that and then Sayaka pulled the “plug.” Drugs was pumped into the body of KGL and then the examination table tilted the bed to a 45° angle, released the clamps, and she felled into a incineration chamber. It was Sayaka’s experience in her new “home world” that profoundly changed her.

  Despite all their efforts at stopping the contagion from spreading they only slowed it down. But it was long enough to get everybody out of the city so that Iverson could use another torpedo on the city. On the far side of the world, people would start to notice the dark clouds of a nuclear storm. Radiation was going up all over that world, especially along the equator. It was still far significantly less than what was ever put into the Earth’s atmosphere, but it was enough to rattle everyone’s nerves. Especially knowing that the type of ship that Iverson is commanding has three hundred and sixty torpedoes on board, didn’t help much either. As beautiful as Golden Hyperion is, the area around the lab complex has become a waste land of biblical proportions. As the pain of the people grows it makes them hate the EOD more with each passing day. Those who are still loyal are being hunted down and murdered. Golden Hyperion would one day become symbolic of both the resistance to, and the death of, of the EOD and the good people of that world wants it that way.

  (15)

  “First time that I ever went camping indoors.” Coté mentioned.

  “Well let’s just hope that nobody gets lost again.” Viper 33X added with emphasis on the word again. What irked him the most is the fact that neither he nor Jaguar 42R, as good as they are, was ever able to track down a map of the facility. Ramirez mentioned in the beginning that the facility does have one for humans, but it’s well hidden.

  “You know… I’m starting to miss The Hammer of Doom, Lenkov and Omori. I can’t believed that they are gone.” Jaguar 42R mentioned after three minutes of silence from everyone. He was drinking and trying his best to take it all in.

  “I was always amazed by the tone of Sayaka’s voice.” Ramirez was saying with a smile. “When I first met her I was in awe of both her and Joseph. And then I heard her talk. I was like ‘Wow… she would make a good therapist.’ (It caused Jaguar 42R to chuckle.) I started to understand why the two of them was so formidable. A woman as beautiful, as talented, as smart, which such great legs, with a beautiful voice that she has. And then there is Joseph, tough, hard, no nonsense, highly intelligent, with that look that intense look in his eyes that he can give you at times. Like, I can see right through you. The scars, that for whatever reason as an android, he chooses to keep. How can one not both love and be in awe at both of them?”

  “Really. When I first heard her talk I almost couldn’t believe that it was her.” Taylor added.

  “If you think that’s something… I heard her laugh. Me, Mad Dawg, and McIntyre was discussing the tactics that should be employed upon this world and… Joseph started to make her laugh.” Vaistll said with a smile of fondness.

  “Really?” Jaguar 42R mentioned.

  “Yeah. He wouldn’t stop. I quickly realize that he was intentionally making her laugh just because he loved the sound of her laughter.” Vaistll responded.

  “I’m going to miss serving under both of them.” Viper 33X mentioned with a heavy sigh.

  “All the data strongly suggested that they disappeared through a wormhole. And besides, why would that alien spaceship come near if it was anything other than a wormhole?” Ellis consoled him. It both did, and didn’t, help to console both Jaguar 42R and Viper 33X.

  Somehow nobody believe that it was as simple as some new type of wormhole. Nothing made any sense to anyone. The data didn’t add up in the notion that it was a wormhole. Yes there was the remote possibility that it was just a wormhole to another galaxy, but even that didn’t fully make sense. It was not suggested by any Intel (as vague as it was) that the alien civilization ever had any desire to make a trip to another galaxy for any reason. The ambiguity of the data added to everyone’s demoralization, and it showed. But they all will stay focused upon their mission.

  “You know… I just realized something.” Martinez was saying after a couple of minutes had passed. He then continued on. “It is indeed true that we are dealing with a civil war within the EOD, but this time it is different. You see, I truly believe that this is not the only time that the EOD had a quote-civil war-end quote. Being both a sniper and trained within the art of Intel collecting, it allows me to notice things that most people wouldn’t. As I look back upon the history of the EOD I started to notice a very simple pattern. Every time that the EOD is strong, like it is now, it faced a civil war. Each time that it occurred the door was only opened, but nothing never came of it. The civil war ended just as quickly as it began. There was a purge. The EOD appeared to be weakening. There was a contraction in the size of the EOD
. Internally they started to reorganized, the quiet time if you will, where the EOD appeared not to be doing anything, and then they came back stronger than before. Each time that the door was opened it took longer to close. The civil war especially now, gave all the appearance of being larger than before. But now is different. Now, for the first time ever, we know the real source of the cause of the civil war: a lover’s tit-for-tat.”

  “Then we should strike without mercy.” Viper 33X mentioned. He wanted to say far more but he was too intoxicated to remember what he wanted to say.

  “Viper is right…” Ramirez was saying as he was interrupted.

  “Doing something that stupid would get us all killed.” Taylor mentioned.

  “I don’t think that Viper meant what you are implying, nor am I. What I think that he’d meant, and I am thus implying, is that if we were to strike and hit the EOD when it is in a weaken state, it would be impossible for them to close the door to civil war.” Ramirez finished saying.

  “So in what way should we strike?” Vaistll asked him.

  “Rather she knew or not, Sayaka gave us a gift that may ultimately allow us the opportunity to strike the fatal blow against the EOD. We know that the Founder’s wife, Medusa Pandora, is here. We know that both of them have their supporters. Neither one of them wants anybody to know that a possible civil war may be erupting within the EOD, and given what Martinez just mentioned, it would not be all that too surprising that either the Founder or that of his wife would want to quickly end this. But if we were to strike in the right area than we may, as improbable as it may be, we may be able to strike the fatal blow to the EOD.” Ramirez responded. Both Vaistll and Taylor thought long and hard about what Ramirez said.

  “The fatal blow is that the bitch is dead.” Viper 33X blurted out.

  “Viper… I think you are a genius.” Taylor mentioned.

  “Yeah… and look at what cause him to become one.” Jaguar 42R mentioned.

  Because of what Viper 33X said it gave the team an ideal that would forever change everything for all those who wished to overthrow the empire that is the EOD. The idea was simple: convince everyone that the Founder’s wife was murdered by the forces loyal to the Founder. Sayaka’s gift would allow them to convince everyone within the sphere of the EOD chain of command that the data is legitimate and therefore can be trusted.