by Mel Odom
The surviving sec man reached for his dropped SMG, captured it, and spun to take aim at Hawke. Whirling on one foot, Hawke slammed his combat boot against the side of the man’s head and bounced his helmet off the stone wall behind him. Already out, the man crumpled slowly.
The professor and the young woman stood frozen. Blue fire flashed in the woman’s cupped hands. Fear etched lines into their faces.
Hawke gestured with the assault rifle. “Let’s go.”
“No.” The professor drew himself up to his full height.
Moving forward, Hawke locked eyes with the man. He spoke in a cold monotone. “Professor Fredericks, either you can leave with me, or I’m going to shoot you in both legs and leave you for the Aztechnology butchers to find.”
“Aztechnology? They wouldn’t bother us.” Worry and uncertainty gleamed in Fredericks’s eyes. “I’ve got permits. You’ve got to be mistaken.”
In his own PAN, Hawke watched Flicker racing cross-country. Time was working against them.
Hawke shook his head. “I don’t have time to argue. The Azzies killed your hired help and the sec men.”
“Why?”
“I don’t know.”
“Who are you?”
“The guy who’s gonna get you out of here alive. If you want to live.” Hawke shifted his focus to the woman. “You’re coming with me.”
She took a step back from him. “No.”
“Either come on your own, or I’m carrying you out of here. Choose now.”
Thunder erupted again at the other end of the cave system. Hawke pulled up a link to Flicker’s sky drone and saw Aztechnology forces swarming the dig site. Another series of explosions went off, and part of the ground around the dig site collapsed.
Hawke glanced at Fredericks. “They’ve breached the first cave. You wanna see if they’re willing to review your ‘permits,’ be my guest, but I’m leaving, and she’s coming with me, one way or another.”
After a heartbeat of hesitation, Fredericks seized Rachel Gordon’s wrist. “We’re coming.”
The young woman looked lost, dazed, but still resisted the professor’s tug.
Fredericks pulled again, more forcefully this time. “Come on, Rachel. Staying here isn’t an option. We’ll get this sorted out soon enough.”
“What about the other students?” she asked.
Hawke shook his head. “Hopefully they were smart enough to get to cover topside when the shooting started. Nothing we can do for them down here.”
“All right.” She swept loose strands of hair from her copper-colored eyes, then shoved the jewel into her backpack.
Fredericks took a final glance at the unconscious sec men, then turned to Hawke. “Which way?”
“This passageway leads to an underground river.” Hawke took off at a jog before either of his unwilling companions could ask him what they were going to do next. Truth was, he didn’t know what Flicker had planned.
The passageway ran straight and narrow as it plunged through the earth. Hawke kept his speed down. The young woman matched him easily enough, but the professor struggled to keep up. The chameleon suit registered the slight decline, but Hawke was already aware of it. His PAN accessed the GPS marker Flicker had tagged for him.
“I can’t . . .” The professor stopped running and braced his hands on his knees as he fought for breath with a wheeze. “Got to stop.”
Hawke faced Rachel Gordon. “Let’s go.”
She shook her head stubbornly. “I’m not leaving him.”
“The Azzies are in the tunnels. They’ll be on us in seconds.”
Her eyes blazed fire. “I’m not convinced going with you will be any better.”
“I’m not going to kill you.”
“I don’t know that.”
Hawke put steel in his voice. “If I was going to do that, you’d already be dead.”
“Hawke.” Flicker sounded as cool and imperturbable as ever.
“Yeah.”
“Where are you?”
Hawke took a reading from the GPS marker, then scanned her position as well. She slogged through the jungle, spinning dirt and vegetation in her wake. “Hundred twenty-seven meters out.”
“You’re running behind.”
“I’ll be there before you are.”
The sky drone blazed a warning, and Hawke picked it up on his connection. Three more GX helos streaked across the treetops as they bore down on Flicker.
“We’re cutting this one close.” Flicker remained calm, but Hawke knew it was the chems running through her brain, keeping her adjusted and moving. “The troops in the tunnel’re gaining on you.”
Hawke shifted over to the cave drone and watched the perspective dance crazily. The drone’s survival suite kicked in as its programming registered targeting acquisition from one of the Aztechnology soldiers. Sleek and quick, the drone avoided two assault rifle bursts that scratched sparks from walls.
Then the video and audio links went black.
Flicker cursed. “You’re blind in there.”
“We’ll make it.” Hawke grabbed a fistful of the professor’s shirt and yanked him into motion. “You just be there when we arrive.”
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Professor Fredericks stumbled and finally fell as Hawke hauled him through the opening that led to the underground river. Rachel, who’d been supporting the professor as best as she could, went down with him. Flopping onto his back, Fredericks gasped like a beached fish.
“Here?” Rachel glared at Hawke in heated disbelief. “This—this is your big rescue?”
Staring out over the wide swath of swiftly flowing river at least a dozen meters below them, Hawke had to admit the escape route didn’t look very impressive. Even using telescopic vision, he didn’t see a good reason to hope for the best.
The cavern formed a basin, but Hawke didn’t know how deep the water was. Both ends were closed, but the river flowed into and out of the area through the limestone, so there had to be tunnels beneath the surface. Even if things went incredibly bad, he could shed his armor and swim for it. If the underground river didn’t stay submerged too long. Too long and he’d drown, even with the oxygen-extending filters in his lungs.
Hawke wished he still had eyes on the approaching Aztechnology sec team. At least he’d have known when the drek was going to hit the fan.
“We’re here.” Hawke peered into Flicker’s ATV, then accessed the GPS locators and discovered she was almost on top of him.
“So am I. Grab some cover. I’m going to make a hole.”
Ignoring the three GX helos bearing down on her, Flicker loaded four HE rounds in her cannons, selected the target area ahead, and fired. The missiles shot upward, causing the helos to break formation momentarily, then dove back toward the ground.
Explosions ripped across the terrain seventy meters in front of Flicker’s ATV. She kept her speed up and aimed for the conflagration as she cut off the automatic warning system. Machine gun bullets and missiles strafed the ground around her and chewed craters into the landscape. The reactive armor blew apart in chunks as the ATV shed its outer skin.
She launched another flying drone and tracked its movement through the twisting flames and smoke clouds. A moment later, the drone marked the gaping twenty-meter chasm in the ground. At first, she thought the combined explosives had failed to break through to the underground basin. Despite the chems lacing her system, allowing her mind to work superfast and unfettered by emotions, a tingle of fear shot through her. Then she clamped down on it and shoved it away.
The drone shot through the opening and relayed images of the basin. The infrared beam peeled away some of the darkness, revealing the spume of rock and earth spilling into the glittering black river below.
She tasked the drone with calibrating the distance from the opening to the river. 37 meters.
The ATV shivered like an arthritic dog when an HE round impacted its left rear quadrant. One of the tires blew and turned into flaming rubber
slag, despite the armor and run-flat composition. Flicker activated a fire suppression system that nulled the fire.
She tapped the brakes, digging the spikes into the terrain, and watched the speed drastically drop. Satisfied, she felt the ATV slew around and topple into the hole. Then she was in free fall.
“Watch out below.”
Astonished, Hawke watched the basin ceiling rip apart overhead. Sunlight stabbed into the darkness. Enough of it reached him that the chameleon suit shifted colors to match the surroundings.
For a moment, he thought the whole basin had collapsed. Tons of earth and rock plunged down. Some of the debris struck the stony outcrop where Hawke and the others stood. He turned and shielded the woman. Fist-sized earthen clods and rocks rebounded off his armor. The professor tucked himself against the wall and lay flat, keeping his hands over his head.
Glancing over his shoulder, Hawke saw Flicker’s ATV plunge through the opening and fall into the river upside down. The ATV sank immediately as a large waterspout shot up.
“Flicker!” Hawke sprang away from the woman and prepared to leap into the water. He thought he could reach her before the ATV became a watery tomb.
“I’m all right. Wait.”
Accessing the sky drone, Hawke watched the three GX helos converge on the pit/entrance Flicker had created. One launched a missile through the hole.
“Down!” Hawke pushed Rachel back into the passageway.
The missile hit the pit’s lip and knocked a large section of it loose. The debris splashed into the river just as Hawke used Flicker’s latest drone to search the basin. The ATV surfaced upright amid a disturbance in the river only a short distance from the promontory where Hawke had emerged.
“Get down here.” The echo of the debris drumming against the ATV sounded strange over the freq. “You’ll have to swim under. There’s an airlock.”
Hawke turned to Rachel and Fredericks. “We’re going down.”
“Down there?” The professor looked at Hawke as though he’d gone insane.
“You don’t have time to argue with those people.” Hawke grabbed the professor and heaved him out into the water. Rachel stood frozen for a moment, then reached for Fredericks too late. Taking advantage of her forward momentum, Hawke planted a hand in her back and shoved her over the edge. Only then did he wonder if either of them could swim.
“The helos are locking onto a target.” Flicker spoke calmly. “I don’t know if it’s you.”
Holding his assault rifle in both hands, Hawke stepped over the promontory’s edge and dropped feet-first into the dark river.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Cold, black water closed over Hawke’s head, chilling him without getting him wet, despite the chameleon suit. Shouldering the rifle, he kicked toward the surface amid more flying debris raining down. He struggled against the weight of the armor, and thought he’d have to lose it. The suit’s coloration immediately took on the blackness all around him.
On the surface, Hawke shook his head to get the near-freezing water out of his eyes. He glanced around and spotted Fredericks and Rachel treading water nearby.
“What do you think you’re doing?” The professor sputtered and choked on a mouthful of water. “You’re going to get us killed!”
Hawke swam toward them. “Swim under the vehicle. There’s an airlock. Get inside and let’s get out of here.”
Waving his arms through the water, Fredericks glared doubtfully at the ATV. Before he could argue, Hawke lunged up and shoved the professor’s head under. Bubbles floated up, letting Hawke know he’d caught the man by surprise.
Rachel swung a fist at Hawke and caught him on the side of the head. He caught her arm before she could swing again and shoved her under. Overhead, another missile struck the opening, enlarging it as Rachel fought her way back above the waterline.
“Get down there or we’re all dead.” Hawke shoved her under again. This time the woman took the message and swam for the underside of the ATV.
“They’re almost through.” Flicker said. “If they get down here, we’re hosed. I’m almost out of ammo, and the armor’s nearly gone. If we get hit again, we could have real problems getting out of here.”
More debris pelted the water, banging off the ATV and splashing all around Hawke. Satisfied that the professor and Rachel were following orders, he dove beneath the water and swam for the bottom of the ATV. Spikes from the tire overhead clawed into his shoulder for a second, then he pulled free and spotted Rachel in front of him.
A cluster of flashing blue lights marked the airlock. The hatch stood open, but Hawke didn’t know if Fredericks had survived his dunking. Rachel halted under the opening, then went up, climbing inside the vehicle.
Hawke followed as another missile struck the opening, making the cavern shudder and loosening more earth and rock. Grabbing the sides of the airlock, Hawke pulled himself up into the ATV’s passenger cabin. The vehicle rolled on the swift current as Flicker strove to retain control.
“Everybody aboard?” Flicker didn’t bother to look over her shoulder. Her onboard cameras relayed everything to her.
“Clear.” Hawke hauled his legs up just before the mechanized airlock slammed shut with a smooth clank. The interior held six seats in rows of two. He glanced at the professor and Rachel as they hunkered down together. “Sit.”
“Who are you?” The professor remained adamant.
Hawke shoved the man back into a seat and the safety belts automatically slid over his body and secured him in place. “I’m the guy saving you from Aztechnology.” He glanced meaningfully at Rachel.
Without a word, but definitely not looking happy about her present circumstances, Rachel sat in the seat adjacent to Fredericks. “Where are you taking us?”
“Out of here.”
“Why?”
“That’s what I was hired to do.”
Rachel’s eyebrow lifted. “You knew this was going to happen? That we would be attacked? Why?”
Hawke pulled himself into the passenger seat up front and glanced at the console. There was no instrumentation board. There didn’t have to be. Flicker was jacked directly into the ATV’s OS, which she’d written.
“No.” Hawke unzipped the chameleon suit’s hood and peeled it down to his neck. “If I’d known we were gonna get this much attention, I’d have stayed clear of this. And you. Now we’re stuck with each other.” He glanced at Flicker.
The elven rigger sat cocooned in her seat, its datajack connecting her to the vehicle. Her eyes were closed as she used the ATV’s video links.
“Anything I can do?” Hawke leaned back and the belts lashed him in.
“I’ve got it.”
“Gimme a look.”
The windshield suddenly pixelated and opened onto the drone view from inside the basin cave. One of the GXs hovered above the enlarged opening, slowly dropping to enter the cave above the river. The rotorwash created waves that slapped the ATV.
Servos whined within the vehicle as it bobbled and settled more deeply into the water.
“What’s happening?” the professor asked, a tinge of panic in his voice.
“Relax. We’re not sinking, we’re taking on ballast.” Flicker’s voice came from the speakers within the vehicle instead of her meat body.
“Submersible?” Hawke swallowed the small tremor of fear inside him as the ATV sank lower.
“Yeah.”
“You didn’t mention that.”
An image of Flicker’s face momentarily showed as an overlay on the drone feed on the windshield. She smiled. “Surprise.”
Above, the GX swiveled to bring its guns around. Heavy machine gun fire echoed within the trapped space and pinged off the ATV’s metal skin and bulletproof transplas.
“We’re not as speedy under the water as we are on top of it.” The ATV inclined and dove. “But we’re fast enough to get out of here. We’re powered by propellers, so we run pretty quiet.”
On the drone view, Hawke watched as they
disappeared from view. The acceleration pressed him back into the seat. “You do know where we’re going?”
“Downriver. According to the hydrographical maps I’ve peeked at, there’s good chance this channel empties into the Pacific in nine-point-eight klicks.”
“This thing can survive ocean depths?”
“Not deep depths, but we can stay down two hundred meters or so. As long as the Azzies don’t get a lock on us, we can run for a while.”
“To where?”
“Amazonia. The Aztlans and Amazonians still hate each other. I’m counting on that.”
“How far are we from Amazonia?”
“Seventeen hundred klicks. Plus or minus a few. I’ll know more once we get out into open water.”
The thought of open water made Hawke’s guts churn. He was no fan of the ocean when he was on top of it. Being underneath it was even more stressful.
“Belt in,” Flicker told him.
Without a word, Hawke settled into his seat, pulled on the safety harness, and wished he had more legroom. He worked at telling himself there was plenty of oxygen inside the ATV’s cabin too.
The view on the inside of the windshield slid away, replaced by an underwater image of the passageway. In the barely lighted darkness, Hawke spotted the mouth of the river’s underwater channel.
“We’ll fit?” Involuntarily, his hands gripped the seat arms as they hurtled toward the wall. He couldn’t help thinking the ATV would shatter like an eggshell if it hit solid rock.
“Gonna have to. We’ll know soon enough if we don’t.”
Hawke resisted the impulse to close his eyes. Instead, he watched as the ATV scooted adroitly into the passageway with the speed and skill of a porpoise. Cannon rounds exploded in the river behind them and the turbulence threw them from side to side, causing them to carom off the walls for a moment. Then Flicker got back in the groove, and they shot along the underground river.
