by Jim Roberts
Several of the techs nodded. The others were too scared to do anything.
Goddamn it Joe, where the hell are you?
* * *
I have them now!
Falco was about to order his men forward to take the aircraft when everything went straight to hell.
A second too late, his good eye caught a glimpse of an approaching object falling through the sky like a bat out of hell. The figure collided hard with several of Falco's Centurions−sending the troopers sprawling. The figure left a shimmering after-image as it moved through his men, the result of some sort of shroud device.
It was the Peacemaker's pet stealth soldier, Callbeck.
Falco could only watch as the armored martial artist tossed his men like a salad−wielding some sort of quarterstaff to bash their heads in. Any time one of the Centurions managed to raise a weapon to take the stealth soldier down, he would be rewarded with a brutal strike across the helmet. Soon, Callbeck had laid waste to all but one squad of his men.
Enough of this.
Falco dropped his pistol to the ground and pulled forth his katana. He would finish this upstart fool himself.
Dashing forward, Falco roared a challenge to the armored soldier. Callbeck deactivated the shroud, squaring off with the old war dog amidst the burning wreckage of the C-17.
"You fancy yourself a hero, Mister Callbeck?" Falco said, holding the katana point first at the beetle shell helmeted warrior. "Let's test that, shall we?"
"As you wish." Callbeck flourished the staff and streaked toward Falco. The two men met each other, weapons sparking as metal caught metal. Falco pushed his power suit to overdrive, feeling the tensile strength in his muscles increase. The men matched each other point for point. Each time Falco's katana came close to scoring a hit, it was neatly deflected by a brilliant parry of the staff.
Callbeck's skills were definitely well earned. But they would not save him.
* * *
THIS MAN was an exceptional fighter. Whisper met him with everything he had. The Mantis Staff twirled and lashed out wildly in his skilled hands. He landed a violent two hit combination against the white-haired Olympus soldier's back, forcing him to the ground. His success was met with a mean sword thrust meant to split him stem to sternum.
To the north, the sound of an approaching vehicle got both men's attention. Mulching through the maize coming directly for them was a massive obsidian tank. Behind it was small armada of Olympus aircraft.
Well, if today couldn't get any worse...
Whisper had to put his enemy down and quick. When the one-eyed soldier met his next staff strike with a skillful riposte, the Canadian countered it by grabbing the blade in his gauntleted hand. Holding the blade immobile, Whisper slammed his helmet forward into a violent head butt, square into one-eye's forehead. Momentarily stunned, Whisper stuck the staff into the ground and used it as leverage to deliver a bone shattering high kick to the man's head. He watched the blow lift the old Olympus soldier off the ground and send him flying to crash into a pile of debris left from the C-17. The man struggled to lift his head, but immediately slumped back down−unconscious.
Whisper let out a breath.
He twirled his Mantis Staff as the huge tank stopped forty feet from where he stood. The stealth soldier was fully prepared to take out whatever new foe was here to greet him.
The hatch opened.
"Danny are you ever a sight for sore eyes!"
Joe Braddock.
The Ranger pulled himself up from the hatch, a happy grin on his face.
Whisper saluted his Sergeant, glad beyond belief to see his friend. "Same here Joe."
A sound from the crippled aircraft behind him caused Danny to turn. Seven very beleaguered Peacemaker technicians stood at the edge of the ruined superstructure of the Barbarian. In front of them was Colonel Walsh, looking none the worse for wear. One of the techs had the Colonel's arm around his shoulder.
"Not bad Corporal!" Walsh called down to Danny.
Whisper nodded his thanks. "The Spirit Walker is landing just south of us, Colonel! We need to hurry and get out of here, now! We contacted the UN. They will be on their way any minute."
The Colonel nodded. The techs helped the old warhorse down from the aircraft midsection. Danny turned back to look at the massive Olympus tank. Joe had moved onto the armored skirt in order to help the occupants off the machine. Krieger was the first through the hatch. The Russian patted the machine, a wide grin on his face.
"That was hell of a ride, comrades! Love this baby!"
* * *
JOE LEAPT off the tank. The pain in his ankle forced him to limp. "I gotta admit, you know how to make an entrance, bro."
"No time for small talk!" Danny said, pointing at the incoming wing of Hyperions. The black shapes were a little less than a mile behind them and approaching quick. "We need to move and move fast. There may still be Centurions about."
Joe nodded. Back at the tank, he saw Brick and Krieger helping Sarah down from the skirt of the tank before leaping off themselves. Rourke came next, lugging Bowser under one arm. The SEAL didn't look too impressed being put on dog duty. The animal hopped down and bounded over to Krieger. Jade was the last to exit the iron behemoth.
"Listen up everyone," Joe said as the group began to converge on the wreckage of the C-17, "Our EVAC is on the other side of the Barbarian. Help the wounded get−"
Joe's instructions were drowned out by a horrible grating sound. Everyone turned to look at the tank. Jade had been about to climb down from the vehicle when, impossibly, it began to move on its own. The near sixty tonne tank shook violently, causing the rebel to lose her footing. The tank trembled, then instantly sprang over onto its side, as if effortlessly tipped by a stampeding bull. Jade screamed as she was thrown over the side, landing hard on the ground.
Prometheus rose up from under where the tank had stood. Parts of the super soldier's body were sparking from damage, but he still gripped the bloody katana.
All at once, the Peacemakers raised weapons and fired. Bullets bounced off the seemingly invincible soldier's body as if they were as useless as gnats.
Whisper moved to stand by Joe just as his M4A1 rifle clicked on an empty magazine.
"What the hell is that?"
Joe slammed his last magazine into his rifle. "It's Olympus's new soldier, called Prometheus."
"Spirits of my ancestors..."
Joe turned to bark a sharp order to his people. "There's nothing we can do! Get the Colonel and the wounded to the EVAC now!"
The team knew better than to argue. Krieger and Brick rushed forward to help the Colonel down from the Barbarian fuselage. Sarah and Rourke followed suit and helped two of the wounded technicians on their way to the EVAC.
His team was where they needed to be.
Joe saw Jade crawling away from the wreckage of the overturned tank. He couldn't tell if she was wounded or not.
"I'm going to help her!" Joe said to Whisper.
The stealth soldier flourished the Mantis Staff. "I'll try to keep it off you−give you a chance to get her to safety!"
"Don't be a hero, Danny! It uses the Code somehow. This bastard's tougher than anything I've ever seen!"
The seven-foot cyborg spun the katana in his hand effortlessly. The dark, sunken pits of the machine's eyes glowed bright red as it moved in on its enemies.
Joe now knew what it was like to look upon the face of death itself.
Whisper put a hand on Joe's shoulder. "There's no time to waste! Get your soldier and get out of here!" Without another word, the Canadian bolted towards the walking nightmare, staff held at the ready.
Joe didn't have time to argue. Behind the cyborg, the wing of Hyperions were almost upon them.
He had to leave now.
Joe ran as fast as he could manage, ignoring the blinding pain screaming at him from his ankle. He reached the fallen rebel lieutenant in a matter of seconds. Jade was laying quite still, only a few meters from the wre
ck of the tank. Joe's heart jack hammered in fear as he reached down to check if she was okay. It looked to like the rebel had hit her head during the fall. She murmured weakly as he hoisted her up in his arms.
Joe tapped her face. "Jade! We gotta move, now!"
She could barely lift her head. Without a second thought, Joe picked the rebel woman up and slung her over his back in a fireman's carry. He pushed off back towards the south, jogging as fast as his sprained ankle could manage.
From the corner of his eye, he saw Whisper engage the nightmare cyborg−the two opponents clashing in the dawn light. Joe wanted nothing more than to help his friend, but first things first. He had to get to the EVAC.
* * *
TITUS AND his wing of Hyperions reached the scene of the crash. The Olympus Tribune stood up from his seat and moved to the aft section of the aircraft, shouting orders to the squad of Centurions like a mad dog.
"Once we land you are to kill anything still living! Bring me the Code, I command it!"
The intercom of the Hyperion buzzed. The pilot of the aircraft came over the speaker. "Tribune Titus, I have just received orders from Legate Tiberius to disengage and return to the Capitol Building!"
"I am countermanding those orders, Captain! Land this craft immediately or I will cut your throat!"
There was a moment of silence from the pilot. The man was obviously at a loss whose orders to follow.
"Received sir. Landing now."
The Hyperion descended to the cornfield below. Titus lowered the side door of the VTOL, ready to rush out and take his prize.
* * *
THE SPIRIT WALKER set down two hundred feet due south of the crashed Barbarian. Orchid opened the door to the cornfield beyond. Doctor Yune was making some last minute preparations within the cargo area to make room for the new passengers. Orchid leaned out the door, clutching an M4 in her hands that she'd obtained from the Osprey's weapon locker.
"You are worried about him, aren't you?"
The voice came from the back of the aircraft. Orchid didn't acknowledge Agrippina. The Olympus assassin continued talking anyway. "He's not someone that gives up easily, our friend."
Orchid searched the area around the Barbarian, hoping to see the survivors soon.
"−and, unlike most men, his passion is his strength."
Orchid turned to look at the chained killer. Agrippina smiled, finally getting the attention she wanted.
"Don't worry your pretty head. Danny isn't fated to die this day. The others, however, may very well."
Orchid frowned. "How do you know that?"
"Haven't you wondered yet how that aircraft was shot down? My people couldn't have found it by themselves."
Orchid hefted the M4, aiming it at the chained captive. "It was you?"
Agrippina smiled. "No sweetie. It wasn't me."
Orchid frowned. Before she could say anything further, something hard hit her across the back of the head. The JSDF soldier toppled to the ground, her world going dark.
Chapter 34
A Titan Falls
The Barbarian, Two Miles south of Sadoma
Whisper had never fought anything like this monstrosity. After only fifteen seconds of engaging the soldier Joe had called Prometheus, Whisper realized he was no match for the obsidian cyborg. The machine fought like a raging colossus−sending one devastating attack after another against the stealth suit soldier as if raining down the fires of hell.
He needed to stay nimble.
The two opponents struck and dodged, dancing against one another for several seconds. Whisper tried to cut in low, aiming a powerful staff sweep against the soldier's legs. Prometheus blocked the strike easily with the red blade. Riposting, Danny swung and smashed the soldier as hard as he could in the head, a move that would have decapitated a normal man.
Prometheus wasn't even phased.
The dark cyborg lunged forward and grabbed hold of the staff in Whisper's hand. With a harsh jerk, Prometheus yanked it from Whisper's grasp, swung the weapon in a forwards arch and smashed the Canadian across the faceplate. The attack was so violent, the bionic vision inside the helmet went haywire, causing Danny's sight to go berserk for several seconds. He fell back, dazed and unable to see. Immediately he felt several horrible punches to his solar plexus. Gagging on a mouthful of blood Danny lashed out blindly, pushing all of the energy he could into a series of combinations against his target that he guessed was directly in front of him.
He felt his punches connect, but couldn't tell if it was making any difference. The helmet's bionic vision came back online, just in time for Whisper to see the cyborg swinging the katana towards him in a downwards arch meant to cleave him in two. Danny swung his arms up and clasped the blade together in his fists like a vice. The power of the strike forced the Whisper suit almost half a foot into the soft ground.
His moment of success was fleeting.
With a sharp tug, Prometheus yanked the blade forward, slicing deeply into the gauntlets of the stealth suit. Danny cried out in pain as his hands were cut to the bone.
No...not yet...
Danny grit his teeth against the pain and propelled himself forward, unleashing a hurricane of punches against Prometheus's center mass. The katana fell from the cyborg's hands as the flurry of attacks seemed to take it off guard−but only for a moment. Prometheus lunged forward, grabbing Danny by the midsection. Like pliers crushing a walnut, the cyborg squeezed Whisper in a devastating bear hug. He felt bones snap in his chest as the Whisper suit compressed violently.
Can't take much more of this...
Danny had never been in more pain in his life. His chest was on fire and he was only even able to stay conscious because the Whisper suit was pumping chemicals into him to keep him upright. He knew his time was almost up.
No. I will not go yet...not while my team needs me...
Danny unsheathed both wrist blades from his gauntlets and drove them down as hard as he could into Prometheus's upper torso. The blades bit through the armor of the cyborg, cutting deep into the material underneath. The cyborg let out a howl of pain that surprised the Canadian soldier.
Was this thing alive?
Knowing that he had somehow managed to hurt it, Whisper yanked the blades out and reached back to stab again.
It was then that things went bad.
The cyborg released its grip on Whisper. As its enemy fell to the ground, Prometheus pounced forward and gripped Danny's left arm. Twisting it violently, Prometheus locked Danny into a crushing hold that jolted his entire body in pain.
Then, like twisting a drumstick off a chicken, Prometheus tore Danny's arm completely off.
The Canadian screamed in pain. The cyborg let him fall to his knees as blood poured from the wound.
Mentally, Danny was nearly finished. He saw his own arm, still covered by the heavy titanium suit, drop wetly in front of him.
I'm dying...
The cyborg stood over Whisper, no doubt preparing to end his life in a final crushing blow.
The Code inhibiter!
Through the searing pain, Danny suddenly remembered the object he had been given by the dying Doctor Mobus. He reached into the compartment in his belt and removed the device.
He could feel the cyborg, standing over him now.
This was it.
He activated the inhibiter. The cyborg lurched to a halt suddenly, its entire body stiffening.
"Code integration...halted...Prometheus unit deactivating..."
Danny didn't wait to understand what the machine was saying. He reached forward with his right arm and clasped his own mangled limb. Charging every last bit of energy into the suit, he sprang forward, swinging the arm like a flail. He caught the cyborg square in the head. The cyborg wavered on its feet, the brutal attack dazing it for a moment. Danny pressed on, his mind filled with raging pain. He smashed the cyborg over and over−wailing on the head like a ripe mango. He aimed a brutal kick towards the beast's kneecap, crushing it utterly. Prom
etheus fell to its knees, unable to stand.
Keep going...almost...got it...
As if he were flailing a husk of grain, Whisper slammed his own limb against Prometheus's head. Danny roared, his wounded vocal chords blistering from the pain.
He didn't care anymore.
He knew he was dying and if he was, he would take this beast of war with him.
After a few more thrashes, the head split apart and crumbled in a gruesome explosion of metal, bone and brain material. With his breathing coming in fits and starts, Whisper tossed the severed limb to the side and watched with grisly defiance at his handiwork.
The headless corpse of Prometheus seemed to waver for a moment, then topple backwards. An odd disembodied voice came from the machine−Danny couldn't tell where from.
"Prometheus unit...offline...catastrophic system failure...engage Protocol One."
He had no time to contemplate what the machine's final words meant. Falling to his knees, the realization came to him too late.
He couldn't have done anything if he'd wanted to.
As the self destruct mechanism inside the cyborg's body detonated in a fusion powered eruption of blue flame, Danny Callbeck's world was torn asunder.
* * *
JOE WAS perspiring from fatigue as he rounded the Barbarian. In front of him, he saw the rest of the team making their way through the stalks of maize toward the landed Spirit Walker.
"Krieger!" Joe called out. The Russian halted and ran back towards Joe. "Take her!"
The Russian took Jade from Joe's back. "What are you going to do, my friend?"
"I've gotta go help Danny!" He turned on his heel and took off back the way he came. He heard Krieger yelling after him.
"Joe, wait! It is too dangerous!"
Heedless of the warning, Braddock ran as fast as he could. As he rounded the corner of the Barbarian, Joe saw the two warriors. Prometheus had slumped backwards, defeated.
