Revelations

by Robert Storey

  Julie stared in shock at the arsenal of weapons strewn on the floor. ‘Oh, my God, Becca, where did you get those from?’

  ‘They’re not real, silly,’ Rebecca said. ‘They’re those airsoft replicas; they fire little plastic BBs.’

  ‘So why did you get them, then?’

  ‘In case there was rioting or anything.’

  Shouts echoed out as people ran past the building.

  Rebecca looked back from the window to the pile of fake guns and army clothing lying on the floor. ‘And right now, I’m pretty glad I did.’

  ‘So what do you expect us to do with it all?’

  ‘Help me pull these orange tips off the barrels and then they’ll look like the real thing, a deterrent to anyone who thinks about breaking in. It’s the only thing I could think of at the time.’

  ‘Why did you think of it at all?’ Julie said, as she gingerly picked up a small revolver and attempted to prise off its brightly coloured plug.

  ‘I saw a TV show, it was selling products to protect against intruders in case of civil unrest after the meteor hit. It gave me the idea that we needed to do something just in case. A kind man I recently met let me have all this on loan; he said it wasn’t really in saleable condition anyway, so he was happy to lend it out to me.’

  ‘Nice guy,’ Julie said, as she moved on to tackle an assault rifle.

  After they had made all the guns look more realistic, they sorted through the clothing. They kitted out Joseph in a flak jacket and, along with his camos, some black boots and a balaclava; he looked extremely imposing.

  ‘I’ve been teaching him to cock this pretend shotgun,’ Rebecca said to Julie, as she handed Joseph the weapon. He pumped it on cue and a blue and metal shell popped out of the ejection port. His grin shone though the balaclava’s mouth opening. ‘He looks intimidating, doesn’t he?’ Rebecca said, surveying her handiwork.

  ‘You could say that,’ Julie said, watching Joseph walk about parading his shotgun and doing a little dance. ‘I’m not sure that the dance will scare anyone, though.’

  Rebecca smiled despite the situation they found themselves in.

  ‘I didn’t think you liked him to get into that sort of thing?’ Julie said. ‘Guns and stuff.’

  ‘I don’t … or I didn’t, anyway. I realised, though, that this meteorite was going to change the world we live in more than I’d really wanted to admit to myself. Times are changing and in most cases not for the better; if this helps to protect us all then I can live with it.’

  They sorted through more of the clothing and Rebecca selected a small yet heavy black vest, lined with some kind of metal plate. Desert coloured trousers rolled up at the hems and wrist guards completed her ensemble.

  Julie, garbed in a similar fashion, pulled on her balaclava. ‘How do I look?’ she said, doing a little twirl.

  ‘Not bad; pick up the rifle.’

  Julie picked it up and slung it around her neck with the strap.

  ‘Excellent, you look quite the terrorist. I wouldn’t want to mess with you.’ Rebecca was relatively pleased, although Julie didn’t appear as frightening as she’d hoped she would. Instead she looked like a small woman in outsized clothing. The gun, however, was the one bit of the costume that would make anyone think twice; that was the plan, anyway.

  They de-masked and Rebecca went to tell the others they would guard the front entrance. Maria, unsurprisingly, voiced the loudest criticism of the plan, which Rebecca duly ignored before rejoining Julie and Joseph, who now occupied the main lobby overlooking the street. It was a little quieter now, the mob having moved on to pastures new, and they sat for some time, playing I spy to while away the boredom. Joseph had taken his colouring book along to keep him occupied, but he still wore his mask, which he’d grown attached to. Julie had tried to take it off him at one point, but he’d got angry so she’d let him be. Tired now, the three comrades in arms got comfortable and, one by one … drifted off to sleep.

  ♦

  Rebecca woke some time later. The lights were off and she discerned the slow breathing of Julie and Joseph close by. She wondered what time it was, and then she heard it – a quiet clicking noise, click, click … click. The sound stopped, and then, after a while, started again. Click, click … click echoed in the silence, and Rebecca, her ears out on stalks, strove to make out what it was.

  It came from the door.

  Why are the lights out? she wondered, as she stretched and gave a stifled yawn. Julie must have turned them off after I dropped off, she decided.

  A dark room, however, didn’t show off their array of fake firepower; not much of a deterrent to potential looters and rioters. She got up and felt her way to the light switch. As she pressed the button the light came on, but at almost the same moment the main door swung silently inwards.

  Rebecca froze. In the doorway stood two men looking as startled as she must have done as the now-illuminated lobby laid all bare. One of the men held a pistol in his right hand; the other, a crowbar and a small multi-tool. Rebecca didn’t understand why they weren’t moving. The man in front looked down to the floor near where she’d been asleep; Rebecca followed his gaze, her eyes settling on her replica AK-47 BB gun. Julie stirred in her slumber, her own fake assault rifle on the floor at her feet.

  Rebecca’s mind raced. The two men were obviously breaking in and the sound she’d heard, which had probably been what woke her up, had been one of them picking the locks. They, on the other hand, were greeted by a disturbing scene: three people in a now brightly lit room. Two were asleep and one was staring right at them. Perhaps most worrying for them, was that all three were heavily armed. Counter to this fact, the formidable weapons rested on the floor, all except for the one held by the sleeping Joseph who cradled the pretend shotgun like a babe in his arms. The second man, meanwhile, had his own gun firmly in the palm of his hand.

  Obviously deciding it was worth the risk despite the threat, the two men advanced, the pistol now aimed at a terrified Rebecca. The second man put a finger to his lips telling Rebecca to keep silent as they approached Joseph. Just as the first man extended his hand to take Joseph’s shotgun, a loud bang outside followed by a scream came from close by. Julie, always the deep sleeper, moved in her sleep once more and didn’t waken. Joseph, however, was instantly awake, his wide eyes studying the intruder as he leaned in towards him. With a little giggle Joseph jumped up. Rebecca had forgotten how tall he was. With his imposing balaclava still covering his face, he cocked his shotgun and laughed at the men in front of him. Believing they were in mortal danger from a masked lunatic, they turned tail and fled.

  ‘No, Joseph!’ Rebecca cried out, as he went to chase them thinking it a game.

  Joseph looked round at her in confusion and Rebecca rushed to the door and slammed it shut.

  Julie woke with a start. ‘What’s going on?’

  Rebecca shook her head in disbelief and slumped to the floor, letting out a massive sigh of relief.

  ♦

  A few hours later sirens sounded close by the care home, and soon after that a fire truck drew up outside. Rebecca, now fully alert due to their previous encounter, looked out of the window to see firefighters piling out of their vehicle and rushing to unpack the hoses.

  Leaning forwards she pressed her face to the glass to glimpse a deep red glow emanating out onto the front yard of the house next door.

  Wisps of ash drifted past the window and she sniffed the air. Smoke, and it wasn’t coming from outside as the windows were shut tight. Going over to the wall she turned the butt of her rifle round and smashed the fire alarm, sending a deafening noise ringing throughout the care home. She grabbed Joseph, who had reawakened, chucked his shotgun to one side and threw away his mask, opened the door and went out into the night.

  Chapter Seventeen

  To say Malcolm Joiner was displeased was an understatement. His plan had gone mostly as envisaged – Steiner was held under lock and key, Darklight positions had been retaken and
the majority of Steadfast’s population were tucked up where they belonged – and yet one major problem remained: Goodwin. He’d evaded him, along with a large Darklight contingent and many thousands of civilians. According to base surveillance they had all relocated to the surface via elevators and exit points which had been somehow jammed open via the computer system. This left Joiner with a few problems.

  First, Goodwin had to be prevented from leaving the vicinity. Now that Steiner was taken care of it meant the threat Goodwin posed was reduced, but it was still a threat nonetheless, especially considering Steiner may have passed him sensitive information. If Joiner had any luck, Goodwin would have been detained by the U.S. military, topside, but a second problem had presented itself; since the impact things had changed on the surface drastically, beyond what he’d expected.

  Significant worldwide unrest due to the dust cloud spreading much faster than predicted, coupled with China’s bold attack on its neighbours, had meant that the United States government had been forced to redistribute troops far and wide in order to defend its borders and citizens. This left Joiner with only a token force on the ground to block and curtail Goodwin’s movements. So far this hadn’t proved too much of an issue as the evacuees had holed up in a nearby Darklight facility. Joiner wasn’t sure what Goodwin intended to do up there, but as long as he stayed put that was fine by him.

  What he had been able to do was to cut hard lines and jam wireless communications to Goodwin’s new home. The problem had been contained for now which, considering the circumstances, was the best he could hope for.

  Joiner’s time and work at Steadfast was nearly complete, but he had a few other loose ends to tie up first. He swivelled round in his chair and took in the scene around him, a dense and verdant rainforest, which he guessed was located in South America. Goodwin’s office is plush, he thought, and this screen is something else; he decided he would have it disassembled and shipped to Sanctuary before he left. The real time footage would be pointless, however, since he already saw in the distance the long grasping fingers of the dust cloud, which would soon encompass the blue skies above.

  ♦

  The Darklight base pulsated with a hive of activity as the contractors and civilians sought to prepare themselves for the journey ahead. Two massive multi-tiered personnel carriers, their engines roaring, manoeuvred into position in the complex’s vast hangar. Shifting nearly thirty thousand people more than a thousand miles was a logistics nightmare at the best of times, but that combined with the recent global events and people’s lack of provisions ensured the situation was chaotic at best.

  Goodwin stepped out of the barracks side door and jumped back as a futuristic all-terrain vehicle sped past, belatedly honking its horn. Steadying himself after his near miss he set forth for the security complex on the far side, making sure he stuck to the red-lined pedestrian pathways as he crossed the hangar’s expanse. Soldiers in various garbs and units passed by and he had to make another evasive manoeuvre as a small cargo loader trundled past on what he had wrongly assumed was a safe zone for walking. He shouted a half-hearted rebuke at the disappearing rear of the loader; the driver stuck up his hand in apology and carried on to a massive twenty wheel transporter which must have stood some thirty feet in height.

  Goodwin knew some private security firms were well equipped, but seeing the resources available at this base was a big eye opener. A small army had assembled itself here, complete with top of the range high spec hardware of almost every description. Having been around U.S.S.B. Steadfast for a number of years he had grown accustomed to military equipment, so he knew high end gear when he saw it. He wouldn’t have a clue how to use any of it, of course, as he’d never even fired a gun, let alone one of the high powered beam weapons he’d seen some of the soldiers lugging about.

  Finally, and still in one piece, Goodwin reached the facility’s main building, where a guard recognised him and waved him through. He now found himself in a large atrium that housed a sweeping reception desk, behind which a huge, polished, stainless steel Darklight emblem hung on the central wall.

  Goodwin found this cross over between corporate offices and heavily armed personnel a kind of unnatural oddity; he knew he would never get used to seeing it. In any normal office you saw people walking about in suits or smart casual wear; here, however, he was greeted by a woman wearing heavy armour with a sidearm at her waist and a wicked looking knife strapped to one side of her chest.

  ‘Ah, Director Goodwin, the commander has been expecting you,’ she said, giving him a broad smile. ‘Take elevator seven to the eighth level, then turn left down to the Canyon Suite.’

  Thanking her, Goodwin made his way across a tiled floor which looked like some kind of exotic marble, his crisp footfalls clip-clopping across its unforgiving surface. Inlaid red and silver streaks wove their way sublimely across the expensive substrate, guiding him to the elevator where he pressed a button and waited. Soon after, the polished metal doors slid to one side. Goodwin stepped to his left in order to let out a soldier who was pushing a wheeled crate marked with various hazard symbols. The main one that caught his eye read:

  THERMAL SWORD

  HANDLE WITH EXTREME CAUTION

  He hadn’t heard of such a weapon before and he peered at the label on the lid, which showed a technical diagram of the device.

  The man noticed him looking. ‘They’re brand new stock. Came in a few months ago; I don’t think they’ve even been taken out of the crate yet.’

  ‘What are they for?’ Goodwin said, curious.

  ‘Apart from carving up the enemy in close quarter combat, they cut through metals; not the harder types, but steel, aluminium, stuff like that. Hot knife through butter,’ the man said with a grin on his face.

  Goodwin gave him a nervous smile. Some people got very excited over weapons; I suppose that’s why they joined an outfit like Darklight, he thought.

  ‘Right, better get on. This little lot is getting dispersed to some lucky officers. They get all the cool stuff,’ the soldier said as he moved off, allowing Goodwin to get into the elevator and hit the number eight button.

  The doors closed and a low hum sounded as the express elevator delivered him to his floor. Following the signs, Goodwin located the Canyon Suite, and as he entered he saw that it lived up to its name; it was decorated with a complete static surround image of the Grand Canyon, showing it off in all its majesty.

  Hilt sat at one end of a jet black rectangular desk, poring over some maps that were laid out in front of him. His rifle hung on the back of his chair and his body armour on the rear of another.

  He looked up as Goodwin approached.

  ‘Sir, take a seat,’ he said.

  ‘Commander,’ Goodwin replied. ‘Please feel free to call me Richard if you like.’ He was never one for too much formality.

  Hilt didn’t seem to hear as he slid a map round to show him. ‘I’ve been plotting a course into Mexico. Unfortunately our location doesn’t afford us too many options.’

  ‘How so?’ Goodwin said.

  ‘The closest and quickest point to cross the border is here.’ Hilt pointed at a spot on the map.

  ‘El Paso,’ Goodwin read aloud. ‘Looks good to me.’

  ‘You would think. However, here,’ – Hilt pointed a short distance away – ‘is the U.S. Army’s second largest installation, Fort Bliss, home to 1AD, the 1st Armoured Division.’

  ‘Ah,’ Goodwin said, ‘not good.’

  ‘No,’ Hilt replied, his voice grave. ‘What’s worse, Fort Bliss is also home to various 1AD support regiments along with the 32nd Army Air and Missile Defense Command.’

  ‘I’m not sure what that is,’ Goodwin said.

  ‘It’s a special one off asset that the Army utilises to accomplish all types of missions which require short notice deployment anywhere in the world. Over the last few years the Biggs Army Airfield at Bliss has been overhauled and they now operate highly classified aircraft and drones which police the skie
s over the Americas and beyond. If we want to get over the border, then passing Fort Bliss would be like running the gauntlet; we’d have to pray the national emergency ensured eyes were looking elsewhere rather than at local roads. Since federal intelligence also has a strong presence at Bliss, Joiner would have direct command channels in place, perhaps resulting in the whole base operating under his control, whether directly or through the Joint Chiefs, which he apparently has significant leverage over.’

  ‘What route do you suggest we take, then?’ Goodwin said.

  ‘This one.’ The commander ran his finger down the map.

  ‘It looks a lot slower.’

  ‘That’s because it is,’ Hilt said, ‘but not as suicidal as going past Bliss. It has its own share of risks, however. We’d be taking smaller roads, meaning we would be spread out further, making us more vulnerable to any attack; in such an instance having our force split into two or more groups would be a real possibility.’

  ‘How would we cross the border?’

  ‘We’d pass through Big Bend National Park and create a hole where we see fit. I imagine about here.’ He pointed at the map once more. ‘Satellite imagery will tell me more.’

  ‘Won’t the Mexican military or Border Control notice such a large breach into their territory? We’re not exactly going to be inconspicuous, looking at the size of some of the machinery you’ve got out there.’

  ‘They’ll hopefully have their hands full with their own population control to be looking at such a little used section of the border. We’ll also have one big advantage, regardless of where we cross.’

  ‘And that is?’ Goodwin said.

  ‘Cloud cover. According to reports, AG5’s dust cloud will be hitting the East Coast of the United States in,’ – he looked at his watch – ‘a few hours’ time.’