NORDIC WRATH (War In the Void Book 2)

by Anthony Thackston

  “We gotta get this guy to the ER.”

  Hannah helped Benjamin walk while Roy and his crew helped the other injured members of the Lucky Liberty.

  Other hospital staff looked on as the group of injured soldiers tried to keep up behind the gurney as best as they could.

  Doctor Kerry Byer stepped out of a lab. “What’s going on?” He spotted Lindsay, limping. “Private Brooks? What happened?”

  “The Captain!” She pointed at the medics pushing the gurney, genuinely unconcerned for her own well being.

  Doctor Byer ran to the gurney and was shocked at the sight.

  James Irons’s shirt was torn down the middle and red with blood. His side had a huge black and purple bruise on it. His arms and chest had the same discoloration while his good eye was swollen shut. Doctor Byer barely took note of the busted lip. It was the least of the Captain’s injuries.

  “I’m this man’s doctor,” he said to the medics. “What’s his status?”

  “Not good,” one medic said. “Suspect both radial bones in his arms are broken. Broken rib. Shallow breathing. No way this guy doesn’t have a concussion.”

  “He’s probably got a punctured lung. We’ll take him to ER four.” Doctor Byer moved to the front of the gurney and led it through another set of double doors.

  The rest of the crew tried to follow but Doctor Byer stopped them. “You’ll have to stay out here while we operate.”

  “Operate?” Durham asked.

  Benjamin Stevens shoved his way to the Doctor. “Do you know who I am?” His tone was forceful and authoritative. It was an attitude he’d not shown before.

  “I don’t care who you are,” Doctor Byer fired back. “This is a clean room and I can’t save this man’s life with all of you in here. Now get out.”

  Benjamin’s eyes darted to Irons as more nurses and assistants rushed into the room. He looked back at the Doctor. “You save him. I don’t care what it costs.”

  “Neither do I.” Doctor Byer backed up. He glanced at Lindsay and nodded.

  She forced a smile back as the double doors swung shut, separating the crew from the Captain.

  All anyone could hear were the muffled voices of hospital staff. Syracuse and Durham watched through the windows as the medical team huddled around Irons, each of them working as hard as they could to keep the Captain alive.

  “He’ll be fine,” Lou said. ”He’s Captain Irons.”

  “I wish I shared your optimism. You didn’t see it,” Roy added. “Haddron was vicious. He didn’t let up. It took a bullet to get him off Irons.”

  “You don’t know what he’s faced.” Lindsay’s temper bubbled to the surface. “He’s not gonna lose a one on one fight with a Nordic of all people. He’s faced off Catters by himself. This is nothing.”

  Hannah’s eyes started to water while Durham only shook his head. He had nothing to add that could alleviate the situation. Even if he had, he knew it wasn’t the appropriate time.

  “I’m sorry, Private Brooks. I just want…” Roy searched for the right words. “I just don’t want anyone to get their hopes up.”

  Lindsay lurched forward but Lou caught her before she could get to Roy.

  “At ease, soldier!” Syracuse ordered. “Regardless of the circumstance, Captain Allen is still a Captain. You’ll afford him the respect of his rank.”

  Lindsay lessened her struggle against the larger man and took a deep breath, recomposing herself. “Yes, sir,” she muttered. It was the first time since meeting Doctor Byer that she’d allowed herself to react as if out of uniform.

  “All due respect, Captain,” Syracuse said to Roy. “Maybe we should wait here by ourselves. Might be a good idea for you and your team to get your own injuries checked out. I see a couple of them with bruises of their own.”

  “A good idea, Commander Hill,” Roy said. He turned to his own crew. “Everyone, follow the Commander’s suggestion and go get checked out.”

  The crew of the Drastic Nova hesitantly walked away while Roy Allen remained.

  “The suggestion was for you, too, sir,” Syracuse said quietly.

  Roy’s eyes darted around at the crew of the Lucky Liberty. As a fellow Earth Fleet soldier, he wanted to stay and make sure Irons pulled through. But Syracuse’s expression told the younger Captain he was best served leaving them to wait without him. This crew was too close knit and this moment felt too private for anyone outside of their circle.

  “You’ll let me know if his condition changes?” Roy nodded toward the ER doors.

  “Aye, sir.” Syracuse saluted.

  Roy and his crew walked farther into the hospital, leaving the crew of the Lucky Liberty to wait in the hall on their own. Moments later, the emergency room doors opened and Doctor Byer came out, blood on both his hands. Lindsay was the first to approach him.

  “We got his breathing stabile, for now. He’s only got one good lung and two fractured arms. His sternum is also cracked and I’m not even sure what else, yet. Until the swelling around his eye goes down, we won’t be able to see if there’s any damage there. I don’t know anything about cybernetic implants so I can only hope that thing works in case he ends up blind in the other. We’re going to move him to a proper operating room. From there it’s just a matter of time.”

  “Can you save him?” Lindsay asked.

  “I don’t like dealing in certainties so I’ll just tell you, I will do everything in my power.”

  “Do more, Doctor,” Benjamin said. “That man has a mission to complete. One that could have dire effects for the whole planet if he’s not around to finish it.”

  Doctor Byer only narrowed his eyes at the Wartech CEO, unsure of his meaning. He looked back at Lindsay. “I’ll let you know what happens. I’d recommend all of you getting looked over. There’s a waiting room just down that way.” He pointed down the hall.

  “Thanks, Doc,” Syracuse said.

  Doctor Byer hurried back in to the ER.

  * * *

  Durham slammed his fist on the armrest of the waiting room chair. “One guy did this? How’s it even possible?”

  “There’s a lot we don’t know about Haddron,” Syracuse told him.

  “We know everything we need to.” Lindsay paced. “Now we take the fight to him.”

  “How?” Hannah asked. “Even without being able to teleport anywhere, he’s so fast. None of us could touch him.”

  “Well, he’s wounded so that might slow him down.” Benjamin looked over the gun he used on Haddron.

  “Right.” Durham stood. “No offense, Stevens, but I don’t think a wounded arm is gonna slow the guy down. He could probably tie one behind his back and still smack us around.”

  “And he’s not alone.” Sitasha walked into the room. “The others aren’t as fast but they’re all deadly in their own way.”

  “And the Slagschip.” Benjamin dropped into one of the chairs. “Irons is fighting for his life. A vengeance obsessed alien wants to bring Earth to the brink. And a—as you say—” he pointed at Sitasha. “—weapon of total destruction is running loose through the cosmos. What else could go wrong?”

  “We interrupt to bring you this special report.” A news anchor appeared on the display glass at one end of the room. “I’m Dom Kennedy. We’ve just received word that a cargo freighter, making its way back to Earth has been attacked. At this time we have no word on survivors of the attack or any description of the assailing ship or ships. We do know the shipment was a load of heat treated beams forged on, due to the hotter temperatures, Venus. We know they were making their way to one of the more earthquake prone areas of Japan for infrastructure reinforcement.”

  A news crewman suddenly rushed to Dom and whispered in the new anchor’s ear.

  “Are you serious?” Dom asked.

  The crewman nodded and disappeared off camera.

  “Ladies and gentlemen,” Dom continued, his expression grim. “I have just been informed that another freighter has been attacked. This one carrying
medical organs from the freezer lab in Antarctica. The crew made it safely in escape pods but we do ask that everyone pray for the families of those who were waiting for those life saving organs. We will continue to follow these stories as they develop. We now return you to your scheduled program.” The display switched to a soap opera.

  “He’s already begun,” Sitasha said.

  “Minerals and sales items are one thing. But if he’s already attacking medical supply shipments…” Benjamin trailed off.

  “It doesn’t matter what is being transported,” Sitasha told them. “Any freight moving to Earth will be attacked.”

  “This will be slow torture.” Benjamin’s phone suddenly went off. He answered. “This is Stevens.” He listened. “Can’t it wait? Did you see the news broadcast? I need to be here when—” Whatever the caller was saying, it was obvious by the look on Benjamin’s face that they were right. ”Ok. I’ll be right there.” He hung up his phone and put it back in his pocket. “I have to go. Company business.”

  “You’re just gonna—”

  “We understand.” Syracuse interrupted Durham. “You got a company to oversee.”

  “I’m sorry.” Benjamin started walking backwards. He tapped his head. “You’ll let me know if anything happens with the Captain?”

  “Of course.” Syracuse waved him off.

  The others maintained whatever positions made them most comfortable. Durham leaned against a wall while Lindsay sat in a chair, one leg shaking nervously.

  Hannah tried to distract herself by looking at the Slagschip specs, trying to figure out a weak point.

  “I need a coffee,” Syracuse started for the waiting room exit. “Anyone else want one?”

  No one said anything.

  “Didn’t think so.” Syracuse walked off somberly.

  * * *

  Syracuse Hill found himself in the hospital cafeteria where he sat down with a cup of regular black coffee. There weren’t too many people at the other tables in the room. Those who were there were smiling, unaware of what was going on above the planet or in the hospital for that matter. A few sat alone, like him, mulling over the health of loved ones, while a couple discussed the news alert. He only shook his head, trying to distract himself by focusing on how to save the Admiral.

  “May I?” a voice from behind him asked.

  Syracuse turned around only to come face to face with Naura.

  “You!”

  “Please quiet yourself. Do not cause a scene.” Naura sat down. “I am well aware that it would be a minor contest between you and I. I haven’t the same level of skill as Haddron.

  “What do you want?”

  Naura sat silent for a moment. “You have a crusade, I understand that. We do as well.”

  “What would that be?” Syracuse sat tensely in his seat. His instincts told him to grab for her throat and use her as leverage against Haddron. But doing that would only alarm the others in the cafeteria. And she might have information that could help in ending this.

  “Haddron will have his revenge. The destruction of your world and your society is entirely up to you. It will be a hard road but once it is ended, your Admiral will be free and humanity will be stronger for it. Can’t you see that this is a gift?”

  “You’re delusional,” Syracuse accused. “What do you get out of it anyway? It’s his revenge. Not yours.”

  “We all have our parts to play.” She stood. “I just wanted to tell one of you. Let this all go. Let it play out. In the end, it is for the best. Haddron has already achieved one part of his revenge with the capture of Mona Collins. And there is no vessel that can stand up to the might of the Slagschip.”

  “You ain’t faced our boat, yet.” Syracuse was defiant.

  Naura forced an understanding smile. “If you will not listen to reason, there is nothing more I can do.” She started to walk for the cafeteria exit. “The coming days will be hard. Your people might be best served to hide on ‘your boat’.” With the last word, Naura turned and walked out.

  Syracuse stared at the doors, pondering her words. He didn’t trust her. And that went beyond her being an enemy. She had ulterior motives. It was possible she even had plans outside of Haddron’s. Whatever they were, it was becoming clear there was more going on than just a plot for revenge.

  Seventeen

  Confession

  “This thing has no weak points!” Hannah nearly threw the Slagschip technical specs to the floor.

  “Calm down.” Durham placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. “We’re all frustrated.”

  “You don’t get it.” Hannah stood. “Its hull is practically the same material as the Bull Head.”

  “The Bull Head has been dented,” Lindsay tried to reassure her. “It’s not bulletproof.”

  “It’s not the same size as this thing, Lindsay. And almost every part of this thing is armed. It’s a highly weaponized battle platform with a strong defense. It has so many bullets coming out of it that ours won’t even be able to get through.” Hannah dropped back in her seat.

  Most of Hannah Xuyen’s expressions were of joy or surprise. Seeing her frustrated was only making everyone else feel worse on top of everything else.

  “And all it has to do is use its wave cannon thing.” Hannah put her head in her hands.

  “Wave cannon?” Durham asked.

  “It goes by another name. But it is a highly destructive weapon that fires from the nose of the Slagschip and sends out a vibrational frequency that shatters whatever it touches, literally shaking apart whatever it strikes,” Sitasha explained.

  “So we take that out first. Done,” Durham said, matter of factly.

  “There’s still the rest of its armaments.” Hannah’s voice had become meek. Not being able to solve the problem was difficult for her. She wasn’t a fighter like the others. Her mind was her weapon and everyone counted on her to use it to find a solution. Not having one frightened her and made her feel useless. And the Captain’s poor health wasn’t helping.

  “There is a reason the Nordic council banned use of the Slagschip,” Sitasha explained. “Even during the war with the Ka’traxis Brood, the council would not permit its use. It is too dangerous for any one person to control.”

  “Everything has a weak point.” Lindsay reached out for the technical specs.

  Hannah handed them over, relieved they were in someone else’s hands. As though she were done with the whole matter.

  Lindsay looked carefully at the images and diagrams, scanning through each page. The design notes, ammunition caliber and type, even fuel. It was everything anyone needed to understand how the ship worked. Except it was in Nordic. A language she knew nothing of. But Lindsay Brooks didn’t need to. She may have not known the language but she understood the diagrams and drawings of a machine designed for war.

  Hannah had been combing through it all with a mathematical mind. Not a tactical one.

  Lindsay stopped scrolling when she came across an image of a ship underneath the Slagschip. “Haddron’s ship fit into this thing?”

  “The two merged,” Sitasha explained.

  Lindsay looked at it more closely. Hannah watched as the soldier’s lips moved and her brow furrowed. Whatever she was thinking, it had her military mind going a mile a minute.

  “It’s a turtle!” Lindsay finally yelled.

  Durham walked around the chairs from his spot at the wall. “What’s that mean?”

  “It has a strong hull, like most ships, but ultimately, this thing is a total offensive vessel. The Slagschip goes over whatever ship it’s merged with. Like a shell,” Lindsay said.

  “I already know that.” Hannah went back to holding her head in her hands.

  “The Slagschip isn’t the target. Haddron’s ship is and it’s just sitting underneath the shell. Look.” Lindsay held the specs up for Durham to see.

  He looked it over and laughed. “She’s right. This thing has weak points all over the place. The biggest one is from the bottom. It’s th
e host ship. There’s more vulnerable spots between each of these rib looking things.”

  “Each of those ‘rib looking things’ has more guns than a Catter tank,” Hannah argued. ”We’ll be dust before getting a hit off or even working our way underneath it.”

  “At least it’s something.” Lindsay forced a smile. “And that’s more than we had.”

  Hannah shook her head and exhaled, knowing her crew mates were right.

  “You just figure out how fast we need to go to stay out of that thing’s fire.” Lindsay handed the specs back to Hannah who returned to looking them over.

  “Private Brooks.” Doctor Byer stepped into the waiting room.

  Durham’s head snapped up. “Hey Doc.”

  Lindsay stood, hopeful.

  “We have him stabilized. I think he’s out of the woods,” Doctor Byer addressed all of them.

  Lindsay healed in relief. “That’s good.”

  “That doesn’t mean there’s not a lot of work left. His healing time is going to be lengthy. And depending on how his body reacts afterwards will determine just how well he is.”

  “Can we see him?” Durham asked.

  Doctor Byer looked back over his shoulder. He knew it would be best for the Captain to rest alone but he got the impression this was a tight knit crew. And after whatever it was they went through up to that point, telling them no was likely not an option.

  “He’s still in the OR, resting. We’ll be moving him to a regular room and monitoring him, soon. But…” He paused. “I can let you in— but only one at a time. And not for very long.”

  “Where is he?” Lindsay asked, eager to see Irons first.

  “Follow me.” Doctor Byer walked to the waiting room exit.

  * * *

  The door to the OR opened slowly.

  “I can only give you a few minutes,” Doctor Byer reminded her.

  Lindsay nodded and walked into the room.

  She looked at the breathing tube down Irons’s throat and his arms in the splints. It was still too soon to put them in proper casts. His ribs had a temporary bandage taped to the side them. The heart monitor beeped steadily while the oxygen machine inhaled for him.