by J. G. Martin
As he approached he drew his pistol, it wasn’t much but it would have to do. When the train stopped moving, the doors on the cargo cars began to slide open. The second door didn’t open because he had jammed the mechanism but the other two slid open and ramps fell out. He watched barely contained glee as the grenade he had rigged swung into the car, the pin was pulled out and the live grenade disappeared into the car. Five seconds later it exploded and some of the blast blew out the open door. Secondary explosions followed, killing everyone inside for sure.
He heard screaming coming from the blasted car as he raced up the ramp of the nearest cargo car. He burst inside firing as he went. Inside were three Fast Attack Vehicles and their crews. The FAV was essentially a heavily armed dune buggy with minimal armor. They mounted a .50 caliber M2 machine gun on the rear roll bar manned by a standing crewman strapped in a harness. An M-249 SAW was also mounted on the each side of the frame at the front and fireable by the driver and passenger respectively.
The FAV had been retired by the U.S. military prior to the Collapse, but had been brought back into service by the U.S.T.G. With vast areas of wasteland to patrol, its speed and maneuverability were valuable again. Not to mention the fact that it was easy to manufacture. It also required less training to operate than an armored vehicle and could fit on a transport helicopter. Or you could squeeze three into a cargo train car.
The crew members were caught completely off guard by Derek’s bold assault and they frantically scrambled for their personal weapons. They had not been expecting an attack and had been busy freeing their vehicles to join the pursuit they had expected to be occurring. Instead they were helpless as Derek mercilessly gunned all nine of them down. He emptied the entire clip of his Glock into them and then reloaded before he finished off a couple of wounded soldiers.
He jumped into the center FAV, which was so thoughtfully unlocked by the crew. With a smile he started the engine and stomped on the accelerator. The dune buggy literally flew out of the car and landed with a crash on the hard packed ground. It bounced wildly and he gave a yell of excitement as it regained traction and he slid it around towards the train. He could see Rora and the hacker getting down from the still smoking cargo car. He raced towards them and then slammed on the brakes, skidding to a halt right in front of them.
“Get in!” He ordered. “Rora, man that machine gun!”
“Awesome!” She yelled back. “I finally get to use the gun!”
He laughed as they got in and strapped in. Once they were secure he threw it in reverse and turned hard. They zipped backwards in a spray of dirt until they were facing the middle cargo car. When they were a hundred feet away Derek slammed on the brakes and they slid to a halt. They stopped just as the soldiers inside had managed to free the door and were lowering the ramp.
“What are you doing?” Rora yelled down at him.
“We need to make sure there isn’t any pursuit!” He yelled back as he opened fire with the SAW on his side.
Bullets spit out in a steady stream at the cargo car in front of them. Rora got the idea and opened fire with the machine gun. To Derek’s surprise, the hacker merely sat there and didn’t fire the gun on his side. The gunfire lit up the cargo car. Sparks flew as the rounds impacted the steel walls of the car. Unfortunately for those inside the walls were too thin to stop the heavy rounds from the M2, and they punched through and shredded those inside. Derek focused his fire on the open door and his concentrated fire caused the FAV inside to explode.
Derek ceased fire and Rora followed suit. The sound of falling brass echoed for a moment and then it was completely silent. Flames and smoke poured out of the two front cargo cars and the third sat silent. Derek nodded in satisfaction at a job well done and threw the FAV into drive. He glanced over at the hacker and saw he had a brief look of disgust on his face before resuming the neutral demeanor he always seemed to project.
They raced forward up the train and along the passenger cars. The last passenger car was all shot to hell by Rora, bullet holes pock marked the entire rear and Derek could see plenty of blood and bodies. A few survivors took potshots at them as they passed, but they were too broken to offer any real threat. The front car was a different story. What looked like an entire company of troops was pouring out guns at the ready.
The soldiers hesitated for a moment when they saw the dune buggy heading towards them. The FAVs were supposed to be on their side so they didn’t fire at first for fear of hitting their comrades. That delay proved fatal as Derek and Rora opened up with the FAV’s machine guns. They mowed down the soldiers as they passed by and then shot up the train engine for good measure. Derek considered another pass, but most of the soldiers were dead or dying and the survivors were too disorganized to come after them.
Rora howled with glee as they zoomed away from the disabled train. Derek smiled, that had been a thrilling and successful rescue mission. They had the hacker, now all they had to do was get him out of the U.S.T.G. They needed a way to cross the border and there was sure to be other pursuit once the troops on board the train rallied themselves. He hadn’t thought this far ahead since he hadn’t been sure they could pull it off.
Chapter 29
September 8, 2029
Train Tracks East of Des Moines, Iowa
The first thing Tom felt on regaining consciousness was pain, intense pain. It felt like he had been hit by a truck. Every muscle and bone in his body hurt. The suit had prevented any broken bones from the fall, but the impact had bruised every part of his body. He opened his eyes to find Roberts kneeling over him. She gave a sigh of relief when he looked up at her.
“Oh thank goodness, I thought you might be in a coma.” She said as he sat up.
“Where is everyone else?” He asked as he looked around.
“Sasha and Valderra are dead, Storm killed them.” She said softly. “The FAV crews are dead and most of the soldiers are dead as well. Storm stole an FAV and shot up the train as they escaped.”
“We have to go after them!” Tom snapped as he struggled to his feet.
“How?” Roberts asked him plaintively. “We’re all that’s left and you just sustained serious injuries.”
“Are any of the FAV’s still usable?”
“Yes…”
“Then go get one!” Tom ordered her. “We cannot let them escape.”
As she ran to the last cargo car to retrieve one of the armed dune buggies, Tom walked slowly towards the soldiers milling about the train. He could see rows of dead bodies laid out alongside the train and medics working on the wounded. It was incomprehensible to him how Storm continually managed to thwart him. It was like the man delighted in defeating and embarrassing him. A train full of troops in U.S.T.G. territory and Storm was somehow able to rescue the prisoner and escape.
“Who is in charge here?” Tom demanded when he got to the soldiers.
“I guess I am sir.” A young sergeant responded reluctantly. “All the other officers and noncoms are dead or seriously wounded.”
“What about the prisoner and the targets?” Tom pressed.
“Uh, they escaped?” The sergeant offered with a cringe.
“And what are you doing about it!” Tom roared in the young soldier’s face.
“Um, what are your orders sir?” The sergeant replied tentatively.
“Worthless!” Tom spit as he turned and stormed away.
A dune buggy rolled up beside him with Roberts at the wheel and he climbed into the back. “Do we know where they went?” He asked as he strapped himself in.
“Yes sir. They headed southwest towards Kansas City. Attack choppers and other units are en route.” Roberts reported.
“Then let’s get after them.” Tom ordered. “We still have a shot to get them back before command decides to drop the hammer.”
He was unsure why exactly they were heading for Kansas City, Missouri. There was nothing there. Until recently it had been the base of operations for a large tribe of raiders, but U.S.T.G. fo
rces had just wrapped up a campaign to clear them out. The fighting had been brutal and had resulted in a lot of the city being destroyed. Air strikes had finally been called in to finish off the last few raider defenders.
The city was largely empty, most people being killed in the Collapse and Aftermath or had fled when the raiders moved in. Tom knew the government had plans for the city and was currently constructing a rail depot there. As usual, volunteers had been called for to proceed with resettlement and reconstruction. If enough people didn’t volunteer than workers would be conscripted. It usually wasn’t too hard to get volunteers; they got increased benefits and were first in line for promotions when the population grew. Some even got Party membership out of it.
There had been a sizable military presence, but they had been recalled when the war with the C.C.A. had proven more difficult than expected. The veteran units in K.C. had been sent to the front lines and replaced with a small garrison of green troops fresh out of boot camp. The more Tom thought about it, he realized that it would be an excellent place to steal a helicopter and quickly fly out of U.S.T.G. territory. The rookie troops there would probably pose little threat to Storm.
“Step on it!” He called down to Roberts.
She responded by eking a little more speed out of the dune buggy. The ride was very bumpy as they rattled along the hard packed Iowa ground. It had once been open prairie but the plant virus had killed almost all of the grasses. The bare ground had proved very susceptible to wind storms and the heavy thunderstorms that occurred during the Aftermath. The continuing winds kept the plains scoured free of any plant life.
They were at least fifteen to twenty minutes behind Storm, but they had a slightly lighter load. It was possible they could catch up before he got to K.C., but unlikely. Their best opportunity was to catch the fugitives from behind as they encountered a patrol in K.C. If they got there before the heavier elements, it was possible that Tom could reclaim the hacker first and still get rewarded.
That was proven to be unlikely about thirty minutes later as two F-16 fighter jets rocketed by overhead, heading in the direction of Kansas City. If fighter jets were being called in, he knew the situation had escalated. It was very likely the top brass would decide to just call in airstrikes and be done with it. Within minutes Tom heard some minor explosions followed by two earth shaking booms. Twin fireballs rose up in the horizon. That wasn’t good.
“Any word on what is going on up there?” He asked Roberts.
She grabbed the radio headset and listened for a few seconds before responding. “They have Storm cornered, but something else is engaging our forces. It’s just up ahead.” She reported.
In a few minutes they cleared a small bluff to find themselves on the edge of a warzone. The downed planes were just the tip of the iceberg. Smashed and burning tanks and Infantry Fighting Vehicles or IFVs lay scattered about. Dozens more were still engaging the enemy, a male figure stood amongst the ruins of a gas station facing a semicircle of armored vehicles.
The tanks and IFVs were all firing as fast and as much as they could at the metal man standing in the center of a scorched patch of ground. Attack helicopters arrived and added their rockets and gunfire into the fiery mix. Explosions lit up all around him and shells whizzed by him, but he seemed unharmed and began to advance on the attacking vehicles.
“What is he doing here?” Tom yelled in confusion.
“I’m receiving a communication over all channels that Derek Storm is in the area.” Roberts informed him. “It sounds like an all-points bulletin from us, but it isn’t. And it’s playing across all channels.”
“That clever bastard.” Tom murmured. “He lured the metal man here to act as a diversion for his escape.”
“It’s working.” Roberts cried out. “Command is ordering all available units to engage the robot, Storm is a secondary priority.”
“Not for us.” Tom snarled. “Circle around and get back after Storm!”
Chapter 30
September 8, 2029
Oakview Mall, Omaha, Nebraska
The rubble had pinned Stefan down for several hours, but he had finally been able to blast his way free. The battle with the psychopath in the silver mask had been exhilarating and he had lost himself in the destruction. They had battled throughout the upper level of the mall, blasting each other with their weapons. The rail gun hadn’t been able to penetrate his armor, but the impacts had done internal damage. More surprising was that the man’s armor had been able to shrug off the pulse bolts.
He had finally been forced to use a piece of steel beam to bludgeon the silver masked man to death. The rush he had gotten when he bashed the man’s head in was quickly lost when multiple explosions rocked the mall. Stefan had glanced down to see the dying man clutching a detonator. His last action had been to bring the mall down around them and attempt to entomb them both.
Fortunately, the internal repair systems had repaired the damage while Stefan lay pinned under the rubble. Then he had burst free and flown up above the ruins of the mall. He had hovered there for a moment as he tried to determine where Storm and the girl had gone. There was minimal satellite coverage of the area and he was unable to find them. Frustrated he had been forced to turn his attention to his other ongoing mission, regaining control of the Collective.
His current location was too far to maintain contact with his new followers so he had been forced to leave them on auto-pilot while he was chasing Storm. A quick trip back to Boise put him back in contact with them and he was pleased to see that they had made great progress turning more Collective forces to his side. Almost a quarter of the towers had been disabled and the forces there converted. The only resistance was amongst the Humeks. Some of them remained loyal to the existing order and were actively fighting his forces.
As the current leadership became aware of the growing insurrection, they had begun shifting more Humeks to lead their forces against the converted. Stefan could also tell that they were building more towers and encrypting the signals with a stronger algorithm. The surge of conversion was starting to slow. He would soon have to enter the fray himself to push the rebellion forward. So far he had managed to keep his identity concealed, but he would eventually have to reveal himself. At that point he would become the focus of the current Collective leadership, so he needed to be ready before he was forced to do that.
Surveying the overall strategic situation, Stefan moved some of his forces around to target weak points and create more confusion inside the Collective. He needed to keep the current leadership busy putting out fires while his forces grew. He was still unsure exactly who was in control, but he assumed it to be Reinhardt. Interestingly, the current leader had used an avatar of Doors to communicate with the Collective. Many of them still thought him in control.
His strategizing was interrupted as he intercepted a communication going out all across the spectrum. It purported to be a bulletin for U.S.T.G. troops to keep an eye out for Derek Storm near Kansas City, but the coding was wrong. He suspected it to be a trap, but other chatter in the area supported that information. It would only take him a few minutes to pop over there and check it out, so he put his forces on cruise control and fired his jet pack.
Traveling at Mach 3 Stefan quickly passed into U.S.T.G. territory. As soon as he did he detected two fighter jets coming fast to intercept him. As soon as they were in range they launched their missiles at him, but he blasted them apart and flew right through the debris field. The metal fragments pattered off his armor but did no damage. He was traveling so quickly that he was on top of them before they could evade and he raked them with pulse fire as he passed by. He smirked as the two planes crashed to the ground and exploded into giant fireballs.
He reached the supposed location that Storm was trapped, a ruined gas station in the middle of the plains. There was no sign of Derek, which wasn’t a surprise. Still, he landed to check it out and see if he could find any trace of his prey. The station had been abandoned for year
s, possibly decades and there was no sign anyone had been there. There were no traces of human presence, even on thermal imaging.
Growling in frustration, Stefan prepared to leave. But before he launched he heard the approach of heavy vehicles and decided to see what was coming. Maybe they had Storm and the girl already or would lead him to them. He waited and watched as a platoon of four tanks and two Stryker platoons approached the gas station. They were coming to check it out just like he had, so he prepared to leave.
Just as he launched into the air, Stefan was struck by incoming fire from the Strykers. The 30mm shells from their auto cannons couldn’t penetrate his armor, but they did knock him out of the sky. He managed to adjust and land on his feet and turned towards the attacking vehicles in anger. Before he could return fire, the explosion from a tank shell knocked him flying. Then all the armored vehicles were firing and the gas station became a raging inferno of explosions and cannon fire. He could probably just leave, but now he was mad. How dare they fire on him? Didn’t they know who he was? He would show them.
Stefan blasted off from the smoking ruins and launched himself into the air above the firing vehicles. He cleared their angle of fire and was free of the explosions. Then he crashed down to the ground, using his reverse rockets to accelerate his fall. He smashed feet first into a Stryker, literally flattening it. It exploded out sideways in all directions from the force of the collision, even its tires exploded from the impact. The other vehicles turned to fire on him, but risked hitting each other.
Pulse fire proved ineffective on any of the vehicles and they were buttoned up tight, so Stefan resorted to brute force. He grabbed the barrel of one tank’s cannon and tore it off. He swung it like a bat and knocked the turret off of one of the Strykers. Then using it as a spear he threw it at another one of the Strykers. The heavy metal barrel sheared through the side armor of the vehicle and caused heavy damage. The spear hit with pinpoint accuracy and struck where Stefan knew the gas tank to be. The armored vehicle exploded as the tank ruptured.
