NORDIC WRATH (War In the Void Book 2)

by Anthony Thackston

“We’re under attack at the lens ship,” the man yelled into the radio.

  Haddron let out a sigh as he dropped the screwdriver.

  The man raised a circular saw and pulled the trigger, making the buzz saw blade spin. “I don’t care if you did do your sentence. You’re a traitor.” The man lunged at Haddron.

  The Nordic was fast enough to kneel, pick up the heavy wrench and use it to block the saw blade.

  The two pieces of metal screeched and sparked as they ground together. It was clear the man was stronger then Haddron but strength would not be enough in this contest.

  Haddron twisted the wrench, working it to the top of the saw. He pushed it down, throwing the man off balance then shoved his elbow into the man’s nose. The saw fell from the man’s grasp, its blade abruptly stopping when it hit the floor.

  The human grabbed his bloody nose as his eyes watered.

  Haddron snapped his foot into the man’s stomach, dropping him to the floor.

  The radio squawked. “Hang in there. We’re on the way.”

  Haddron glanced down at the radio and sighed again. He’d hoped to do this with more ease. Not that it would be difficult to overpower these humans. But a fight made the whole process take longer.

  * * *

  The bridge of Haddron’s ship was spacious. The Captain’s seat was the only piece of visible furniture. Haddron walked to the seat and took his place in it. A few key strokes on the arm rest and four spots on the rest of the floor swirled and vibrated as if turning into liquid. From the metallic puddles, four more seats rose. They were smaller than Haddron’s and each had a console in front of it.

  “Let us begin Phase Two,” Haddron said.

  A heavy thud sounded above him. Haddron looked up at the ceiling of the bridge. Windows made up a part of the ceiling, reaching all the way to the nose of the ship. Three workers, each with heavy hand tools looked down at him from the outside. One of them hoisted a large wrench in the air and brought it down on the window.

  Haddron fumed at the sight.

  The four men he had fought in the corridor ran into the bridge. Each of them looked shocked at the unfamiliar sight of the other seats before they looked at Haddron.

  The Nordic stood slowly, seething. He grabbed the device on his waist-band and pressed the lens.

  A flash instantly filled the room and when it went out, Haddron was gone.

  The four men looked around for any sign of him.

  “Up there!” One of them pointed toward the window on the ceiling as the same flash appeared from outside the ship.

  When the flash went out they could see their co-workers staring at Haddron who had appeared out of nowhere.

  “Come on!” Dallas yelled, hoarsely, as he led the other two off the bridge to join the others on the roof.

  * * *

  The first kick sent the wrench user clear off the ship. Haddron quickly moved onto the next man, a worker with a baby sledge hammer. He grabbed the hammer but the man refused to let go. Haddron pulled him around, using momentum to swing the man off his feet and collide with a weaponless worker.

  Haddron released the hammer, resulting in both workers flying off the ship. If they were lucky, they’d hit concrete and maybe break a few bones. Haddron had no time or concern to see if they’d landed on a sharpened piece of dismantled ship instead. It would be a fitting end for them.

  Dallas and the other three from the bridge finally reached the roof.

  “You’re gonna wish they’d never let you out of that prison,” Dallas said as he sparked a welding torch.

  The flame went from a wide yellow to a thinner blue. Even Haddron knew his speed would be meaningless if the flame hit him. And he didn’t have time for injury.

  The four men slowly surrounded the Nordic. More yelling rose from below the ship. Haddron caught a glimpse of movement just under the edge of the roof as more workers ran to join the fight.

  “Now it will be worse for all of you.” Haddron pressed the lens on his device and instantly disappeared in a flash of light.

  The same flash came from the other side of the window beneath the workers.

  Appearing there, Haddron took his seat in the Captain’s chair and input commands into his arm rest. The ship hummed as the bridge lit up. Haddron looked up to see the workers wobble as the whole ship vibrated.

  The workers still on the ground watched the vessel rise off the skids. Some of the men started to run away as the ship rose toward the ceiling. The men on the roof fell and slid toward the edge.

  Haddron watched them fall off his ship. He slid his finger up a clear slide on his arm rest and the ship rose even faster.

  It crashed through the ceiling of the building, busting a massive hole in it.

  Ship pieces that were suspended from the rafters rattled in the destruction. Some of them snapped free of their restraints, crashing to the other piles of ship parts and sending them scattering throughout the building.

  The men on the ground scuttled for cover, all hoping to evade the destruction as Haddron’s ship rose above the buildings on the dock. The sun shone through the windows into the bridge.

  Digital static from a communications device crackled through the bridge communication system.

  “You have succeeded?” Kar’libon asked over the system.

  “I have, my friend. Phase one is complete. Join me and we will go find the others.”

  The smaller transport ship rose from the pavement outside the warehouse and met with Haddron’s ship.

  “They will surely send pursuit vessels after us, now,” Kar’libon warned.

  Haddron watched as his friend’s ship maneuvered to the port side his own. He could hear the smaller of the two land inside the cargo bay of the ship. He input a few commands and could hear the metal locks clamp shut.

  “We will be long gone before they enter their vessels,” he said.

  A few moments passed before Haddron heard his partners voice again.

  “I am aboard.”

  “Well done, my friend.” Haddron connected his lens device to the same kind of black strips that Kar’libon had installed in his small ship. He pressed the lens. “Ready for teleport in 3, 2—”

  Like other times before, one flash of brilliant white lit the area and, in an instant, the ship was gone.

  Four

  Hired Guns

  “Watch it!” Durham protested as he stumbled into the conference room.

  Two men in black tactical gear shoved him inside where Irons and Lindsay were already waiting.

  “Boss.” Durham brushed off one of the men’s hands. “What’s going on?”

  “Wondering that myself.” Irons stared coldly at the armed men. “These jackboots pulled the same thing on us.”

  “Why are they— Woah!” Durham stepped back and pointed at his own eye. “What’s with the—“

  “You gonna make me say it?”

  Durham’s quickly shifted his pointing into a salute. “Right. Got it.”

  The black clad men left the room, closing the door behind them.

  “Stevens knows he can just call us, right?” Durham sat down on the conference room table. “No need for the B-team to flex.”

  “Right now, I don’t really care what he knows. Soon as he gets here, he’s gonna get an earful.I don’t care if we’re employees of Wartech or not.” Irons walked to a floor to ceiling window overlooking the city.

  He gazed down at the traffic driving up and down the road, at people on foot making their way about town and whatever business they had. He wondered how many of them were even aware of the last battle with the Ka’traxis Brood. That attack was relegated to the fleet. It was entirely possible no one but the government, the military, and Wartech had any knowledge of how close they all came to being slaves of the Catters.

  “Get your hands off me!” A booming voice came from the hallway outside of the conference room.

  The door swung open and Hannah Xuyen entered as fast as she could, eager to get away from t
he armed men.

  Syracuse Hill came in close behind her. “You all got some nerve treating enlisted— Captain?”

  “Captain!” Hannah rushed toward Irons.

  “What’s going on, Albatross?” Syracuse followed, looking over his shoulder with a watchful eye on the armed team.

  “Beats me. We’re all standing around asking the same thing.” Irons squinted at one of the armed men. The dark visor on his helmet was cracked, so whatever hit must have been very hard. “What happened to him?”

  Syracuse looked back at the man in question. He cracked his knuckles. “The same thing if they put a hand on me again.”

  The crew watched the the last of the armed team close the door behind them, leaving Irons and his people alone in the conference room.

  “They said Stevens wanted to see us.” Lindsay pulled a chair from the table and sat down.

  Durham followed her lead. “We better be on the clock for it, then.”

  “I’m surprised they got the two of you in here at all.” Syracuse motioned toward Irons and Lindsay.

  “Too public. Didn’t wanna cause commotion.” Irons figured he and Lindsay could have taken a few of the armed men down. But it would have taken only one errant bullet to hurt a civilian in the lobby.

  “More commotion than armed guys storming through a public space?” Durham kicked his feet up on the table.

  Lindsay shoved his feet back to the floor. Durham glared at her, but she only rolled her eyes at his behavior. He wasn’t going to change.

  “Captain?” Hannah asked, staring at the uncovered Cyber Eye.

  “Go ahead,” he said, sure of what she wanted.

  “You’re not wearing your eyepatch.”

  “Trying something different,” Irons told her, hoping that would be the last time the matter was brought up.

  “The blast fried the sensor, didn’t it?”

  There was no getting it around her. Not when technology was concerned. The only reason Irons even wore the patch was to prevent the constant data flow that gave him such a headache. Now that only the ocular function worked there was no need to cover the eye.

  “I got someone working on it,” Irons said. “Until then, get used to it.”

  Hannah saluted. “Aye, sir.”

  Irons placed both fists on the large oval table and leaned into it, frustrated that his crew was treated this way. Especially after all the fawning Stevens had done in the past. Captain Irons didn’t consider himself a hero but even so, this was no way to treat the people who saved the Earth.

  The door to the room opened and Benjamin Stevens waltzed in like nothing was the matter. Earth Fleet Admiral Mona Collins came in behind him.

  “There they are. Just the people I—”

  Irons looked up. The sight of the Cyber Eye stopped both the Admiral and Wartech CEO in their tracks.

  “Woah. What’s with the..?” Benjamin pointed at his own eye.

  “People keep asking me that, I’m gonna use it,” Irons bluffed.

  “Sorry, Captain. Just not—”

  “What’s the idea forcing us here at gunpoint?” Syracuse interrupted.

  “Right. I guess that was a shock. Sorry about that.” Benjamin walked to the window. “I needed to test those soldiers and what better way to do it than with you all.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?” Durham stood, annoyed at Benjamin’s carefree attitude about the whole thing.

  “You guys are the best in the business. If they couldn’t handle you, then there’s no way they could handle another attack.”

  Irons temper shot way up. “Handle us?”

  “Relax, James,” Mona said. “They’re private security for Wartech.”

  “Mercenaries?” Lindsay asked, insulted at the idea of for profit soldiers.

  “After the attack, Wartech decided it would be best to have a constant ‘military’—” Mona made air quotes, “—team to safe-guard company interests. Especially if the actual military has to go out and fight. We’re still in the process of refilling the ranks.”

  “You can’t trust mercs,” Durham accused. “All due respect, you’re gonna regret this, Stevens.”

  “They were hand-picked by Admiral Collins.” Benjamin walked to the head of the table. “All retired service men and women. Most of them lost limbs during the war. We fitted them all with new prosthetics. Kind of like the Captain’s…”

  Irons shot daggers into Benjamin, daring him to mention the Cyber Eye.

  The Wartech CEO got the point and moved on. “They’re contract but like you guys, fully fledged employees of Wartech. Full benefits and all. At least until their contract is up.”

  “Fine. You got yourself a little private security. Even got them to prove themselves.” Irons stood straight. “Was this it? Or do you still want that little piece of tech floating around in the Kuiper belt?”

  Benjamin sat at the head of the conference table and leaned back in the chair. “Actually, Captain, there is more.”

  “You sure do like to withhold information, Stevens, you know that?”

  “Sorry, Commander Hill. I do have a slight flair for the dramatic.”

  Durham chuckled. “Slight?”

  “Private!” Mona glared at him.

  Durham quickly rose from his chair. “Sorry, Admiral.”

  Benjamin leaned forward and clasped his hands together. “I’ll need to save the Kuiper Belt piece for another time. This is vastly more important. It concerns both the company and the fleet. More specifically, the company and Admiral Collins.”

  Mona swiped her hand on the table and a holographic image of Haddron appeared. “I don’t know if you’ve heard, but Haddron Lariscthyus’s sentence was up today. He’s already been released.”

  “We saw the news,” Lindsay said.

  Durham scowled. “Guy should have been in front of a firing squad.”

  “The feeling is largely mutual,” Mona said. “Sadly our treaty with the Nordics prevents that regardless of the crime.”

  “Then that settles it. What are we supposed to do about him?” Irons glanced at Benjamin.

  “Well, to start, he’s got something I want.” Benjamin swiped his hand over the table and the image of Haddron’s device appeared. “This is a—I’m sure it has a technical term— teleporter.”

  Hannah’s eyes went wide.

  “I know, Specialist Xuyen. It’s incredible. I thought the Wormhole Activators were game changers. But this thing?” He pointed at the display. “The activators haven’t even been scanned, much less dismantled yet, and already they’re out of date. This is something new and I want it.”

  Mona cleared her throat in signal for the Wartech CEO to save his wonderment for another time and move on.

  “Right. Pardon me, Admiral.” Benjamin refocused. “Gaining the teleporter will work in two ways. One, Wartech gets the new technology. Two, it prevents Haddron from freely moving wherever he wants.”

  “Ok. So he can move anywhere. So what?” Durham asked.

  Syracuse pointed at the device on the holographic display. “We get that thing from him, it means he can’t blind side the Admiral.”

  “I still don’t follow.”

  “Just because you fought in the war doesn’t mean you knew everything about it, eh, Private Durham?” Benjamin said. “Well, before she was Admiral, Private Collins testified against Haddron as a key witness during his war crimes trial. Her testimony is the reason he wound up in prison.”

  Durham slowly turned toward Mona who stood, looking a little uneasy at the ramifications of Haddron’s release.

  “Do Nordics usually hold grudges?” the Admiral asked.

  “Normally I would say no. But Haddron is—“ a vibrating cunt him short.

  “Excuse me.” Benjamin pulled a phone from his blazer and glanced at the caller ID. “I um…have to take this.” He answered the phone.

  “This is Stevens.” He listened. “Slow down. When did this happen?”

  The rest of the room wat
ched him, curious about the caller on the other end. Irons glanced at Mona who smiled weakly at him. It stirred a need to protect within him. He didn’t like seeing her vulnerable and he certainly didn’t like knowing that her life might be in danger.

  Benjamin squeezed the bridge of his nose. “Right. Well, there was nothing you could do. Just, um…clean up and get everyone out.” He listened. “Yes, that is what I mean by clean up. I have to go. Don’t contact me. I’ll let you know when things are safe.” He hung up and put the phone away. “Sorry about that.”

  “Mr. Stevens?” Mona asked.

  Benjamin sat, silent at first. He clicked his tongue on the roof of his mouth.

  “That sound is aggravating,” Irons growled.

  “Sorry. A nervous tick. We have another problem. A really big one, actually. That call was—Well never mind who it was. Haddron got his ship back.” He stood up and walked back to the window.

  Irons slammed his fist on the table. “What do you mean, ‘got his ship back’?”

  The abruptness of his movement startled Mona who was already uneasy.

  “Where did he get it back from?” Irons demanded.

  “That’s not important,” Benjamin said.

  “What are you holding back, Stevens?” Syracuse asked.

  “It’s best you don’t know, Commander Hill. Pay grades and all that.”

  “Forget pay grades. You keep holding back need to know.” Irons started moving aggressively toward Benjamin.

  “Captain,” Mona ordered, stopping Irons.

  Benjamin turned around. “I hate to do this but I’m afraid I’m going to have to pull rank on you, this time, Captain.” His voice was flat. Whatever he was keeping from them, he planned on continuing to do so. “Where were we? Oh, right. Nordics and grudges. Usually Nordics are—“

  A flash of white cut him short. Everyone in the room averted their eyes from the brilliance of it. Everyone except Irons. He didn’t wait for the spots in his eyes to disappear before he lunged in the direction of the light. His forearm found the new visitor’s neck and forced the figure to the wall.

  “Forgive my intrusion,” the woman’s voice was strained beneath the pressure of Irons’s arm.