by J. G. Martin
The shot echoed loudly throughout the clearing beside the cabin. The major collapsed to the ground, a large hole in his head and a very surprised look on his face. Shocked silence greeted the gunshot. Derek quickly shifted his aim back to McKay.
“Well done Storm.” Carlton said after a moment. “What gave him away?”
“There was blood on his boots. If he had left his escorts behind, why was there blood on his shoes?” Derek explained as he tried to come up with a new plan.
The fact that Major Gray was a traitor and the entire mission was turning out to be a trap was very concerning. The two escorts were certainly dead and now he was all alone against the four Red Berets. The fact that they were holding Rora as a shield only complicated things more.
“I’ll tell you what, Carlton.” Derek called. “You let her go and I’ll let you all walk away.”
“Wow Storm. Your balls have only gotten bigger since we last worked together.” Carlton said with a chuckle. “You were always arrogant, but this is a whole new level. Do you really think you can take the four of us? We have you outnumbered and outgunned.”
“I’m sure the Zeta Force thought the same thing, and look where that got them.” Derek said snidely.
That struck a nerve. The big man flinched and the other two began muttering something to their leader. Carlton silenced them angrily and stomped forward. He needed to show the others that there was nothing to be afraid of.
“Enough of this Storm. Last chance. Drop your weapons or we kill the girl.” The Red Beret leader snarled assuming he was in control of the situation.
He wasn’t. Derek didn’t reply, instead he fired his pistol at McKay as Rora pulled away from him. The round struck the big man in the neck and went down. At the same time Derek fired both barrels of the shotgun at Carlton. His armor absorbed most of the blast, but it knocked him down. The other two men opened fire as Derek rushed towards them. Some of their rounds struck Derek but he kept coming. His armor deflected some of the gunfire, and his adrenaline rush helped him ignore the ones that struck home.
The men broke and ran as Derek got closer. His reputation and the fact that they hadn’t been able to stop him with their panicked fire made him seem invincible to them. He shot them in the legs as they fled, and both crumpled to the ground. Derek reloaded and then shot each one in the head as they begged for their lives. He felt no guilt in executing them. They had done horrible things to many people and were getting what the deserved.
A shotgun blast from behind knocked him down and stunned him. The slug didn’t penetrate his vest, but the force of it knocked the breath out of Derek and cracked a few ribs. He rolled over to see Carlton staggering out from behind the SUV with Major Gray’s shotgun in his hands. Blood streamed from buckshot wounds on the Red Beret’s face and neck. A vicious grin was plastered on his face as he slowly approached the prone Derek.
“Impressive Storm, maybe everything I heard wasn’t hype.” Carlton gloated as he stood over the helpless Derek. “Too bad you turned your back on us. You could have been the best of us all.”
“I am the best of you all, you monster.” Derek growled hatefully. “I just don’t measure myself on my ability to kill women and children.”
“You always were a smug, superior jackhole.” Carlton said while shaking his head. “I would do this even if I wasn’t getting a huge reward. I never liked you.”
The Red Beret leader raised the shotgun to his shoulder and began to squeeze the trigger. But before he could fire a series of shots rang out. Carlton’s head exploded as bullets ripped through it and he toppled over to reveal Rora standing behind him holding a smoking pistol. Her hands were still bound but she had recovered one of the henchmen’s guns. Ignored as not being a threat by the Red Berets, she had been able to retrieve it and then sneak up on Carlton.
“Rule #22.” Derek muttered at Carlton’s dead body. “Don’t waste time talking, just kill your opponent.”
“Let me help you.” Rora said to Derek as he tried to stand.
“Thanks.” Derek said to Rora as she helped him struggle to his feet. “I wanted to do that, but it’s still satisfying to see him dead.”
“Glad to do it.” Rora said angrily. “They talked at length about all the things they were going to do to me once you were dead.”
“What happened with Gray?”
“He slit the other two guys’ throats and then overpowered me.” Rora explained. “Then he made a call and the Red Berets showed up. They took me and threw me in the back, but I heard them plotting to kill you. This whole mission was just a way to lure you somewhere remote and kill you.”
“Did they mention anything about the major being a double agent?” Derek asked.
“No. It was weird; they did act as if they knew him really well though. Like they were friends in real life.” Rora said thoughtfully. “But how is that possible, the major must have been in the C.C.A. for years.”
“I have no idea. He isn’t a Faceless, because his body hasn’t dissolved yet. But I agree it would be difficult for him to have been friends with Carlton.” Derek agreed. “Let’s take his body back with us and maybe his bosses can figure it out. At least we know who put the tracker in the gas can on our trip to NASA.”
“That’s true.” Rora agreed with a laugh. “That was really keeping me up at night.”
Chapter 35
September 11, 2029
Hills North of Asheville, North Carolina
Using a satellite phone they found on Major Gray’s body, they called for extraction. The C.C.A. brass was understandably upset at the revelation that their golden boy had turned out to be a traitor. They had only reluctantly sent a helicopter to come pick them up. The C.C.A. brass had been forced to agree that they did complete the mission that they had been sent to do. So they sent a Pave Low helicopter to come extract Derek and Rora as soon as possible.
The helicopter arrived very shortly, so quickly in fact that Derek realized it must have been waiting nearby. The chopper swooped in and picked them and the major’s body up. Derek also convinced them to take back some of the weapons that he and Rora had collected. The crew gave them funny looks as they piled weapons and gear into the chopper cabin until Rora explained a little of the rules to them. Even then, they would still look at the pile of weapons and shake their heads.
The last thing they did before lifting off was to torch the cabin and the vehicles with the bodies inside. Rule #25; don’t leave anything behind for your enemies to use. Hartnett and the other two Red Berets had surely heard the gunfire and were on their way to the cabin. They would arrive to find nothing except the surprises that Derek had left for them.
He had left a couple of booby traps on the road up and a claymore for them near the cabin. He had debated staying and ambushing them as they came up, but he couldn’t risk them collecting some Reaper backup along the way. So instead he left a few remnants of the Reaper gear that Dyson and Green were supposed to wear for the ambush. If any of the Red Berets survived the booby traps, then hopefully they would think the Reapers did it. Either way, they had completed the mission for the C.C.A. and now they could go collect the ARK.
The helicopter had taken them to a remote spot outside Bowling Green, where they were reunited with Shilling. He seemed genuinely happy to see them. When they landed he came rushing over to greet them, followed by a young man with a bushy beard dressed in ragged denim jeans and jacket. A black bandanna was around his neck and he wore well-worn hiking boots. A tan floppy hat completed the ensemble. The only thing that set the man apart from your average scavenger, was the almost brand new M-16A2 slung over his shoulder.
“You made it!” Shilling greeted them happily.
“Was there some doubt?” Derek grunted.
“Not really, but I heard about the ambush and that you got shot.” Shilling replied seriously. “How are you feeling?”
“Pretty good. I heal quickly.” Derek told him.
“I know, but that doesn’t make you i
nvincible Derek.” Shilling informed him while making deliberate eye contact. “You need to watch your back more carefully. You never know who or what could be setting you up.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.” Derek responded with a laugh. “Speaking of what, what is that on your back?”
“This?” Shilling said as he unslung some sort of weapon from his back. “It’s something the scientists at NASA helped me create. It should slow down or stop the android if he attacks us again.”
The hacker held out the weapon to show Derek. It looked like someone had slapped a clay pigeon thrower onto an assault rifle stock. But instead of the clay disk it had a metallic one that had little blinking lights and some sort of electronics attached. Additional disks sat in a carrier where the clip would have gone.
“What does it do?” Derek asked skeptically.
“This disk is an EM field generator, the smallest ever built.” Shilling informed him proudly. “The base is magnetic, so it will stick to the android and keep generating the field as long it has power.”
“How long is that?” Derek asked.
“About thirty minutes.” Shilling replied. “And even after the field stops, the effects should linger for a while.”
“Wouldn’t the android be shielded against EM?” Rora interjected.
“Yes, but the field is so intense it should overwhelm the shielding.” Shilling told her confidently.
“Hmm, let’s hope we don’t have to find out.” Derek replied. “Who is your friend here?”
“Ray Jackson.” The scruffy looking man introduced himself. “I’m the local partisan leader.”
“You C.C.A. military?” Derek asked as he scrutinized the man.
“No, just a guy defending his home.” Jackson told them. “My family has lived around here for generations and we don’t want any government to come in here and tell us how to live. At least the C.C.A. left us alone.”
“I can sympathize with that.” Derek agreed. “I don’t exactly see eye to eye with them either.”
“If helping you hurts them, then we are all for it.” Ray said eagerly.
“We?” Rora asked.
“I have a small group waiting for us nearby. No need to risk everyone if it turned out to be a trap.” Ray told her.
“A good idea.” Derek said, nodding approvingly.
So far this kid had impressed him. He seemed intelligent and had a good grasp for basic tactics, despite never having been trained. If the rest of his group was half as good, they would have no problem getting to the caves and retrieving the ARK. He noticed their guide eyeing the futuristic rifles that Rora and Derek had scavenged from the Red Berets with barely concealed envy. Derek had taken the heavier barreled one that seemed to replace the SAW and Rora had taken a carbine version.
“Once this mission is complete, we’ll give you our rifles.” Derek told the kid.
“Really?” Ray asked as his eyes lit up with excitement.
“Really.” Derek assured him. “Get us to the caves and lead us to what we need and they’re yours.”
“Deal!” Ray stated with enthusiasm. “Let’s get going then. We don’t want to hang around here too long. Someone might notice.”
With that, he turned and slowly headed into the woods. Derek, Rora, and Shilling followed close behind. They didn’t want him to lose them. The woods were like everywhere else on the planet. The leaves no longer existed and the tips of the trees were blackened. The trees were dead, but hadn’t fallen. It looked like a forest of burnt matches. But there were so many trees; it was still hard to see far ahead.
Ray picked his way through them without hesitation. He didn’t need a compass or GPS to know where he was going. They followed him until they reached a small hollow with a stream running through it. He stopped and waited for them. He put a finger to his lips and listened carefully. After a few minutes he gave a bird cry signal and seven men appeared out of hiding.
The group was very ragtag, and dressed similarly to Ray. They varied in age from a boy of maybe sixteen to a man of at least sixty. All were armed with hunting rifles or shotguns. Apparently only Ray rated a brand new rifle. Several had bandages over what looked like gunshot wounds. It was obvious this group had seen some combat with the U.S.T.G. forces in the area.
“My men.” Ray said by way of introduction. “No names, just in case someone gets captured.”
“How do we know we can trust them?” Rora asked.
“They are all kin, in some form of another.” Ray said with a shrug.
“Oh.” Was all Rora could respond.
“All right, let’s move out.” Ray said and gave a wave to his men.
The men fell in around them and the group left the hollow with Ray taking point, followed by Derek, Rora, and Shilling. Ray led them along a series of what had once been deer trails. To Derek’s surprise the men were not silent and carried on a running conversation with each other; mostly about women and booze, and often teasing the younger men about them.
“Shouldn’t your men be quiet?” Derek finally asked Ray.
“The only way you know that these trails even exist is if you grew up in the hills and hollers around here. Our families have been using them to avoid the government’s men for decades. There is no way there are government men are anywhere nearby to even overhear us.” Ray explained with a laugh.
“What if some of your fellow hill men are working for the U.S.T.G.?” Derek pointed out.
That bothered their guide and after a moment’s thought he made a gesture for his men to be quiet. They fell silent with a few grumbles, but Derek was impressed that they followed the order so quickly and obediently. Ray might be young, but he had obviously already won their respect.
They arrived near the entrance to the cave without incident. There had been no sign of the U.S.T.G. at any point and Derek was starting to believe that maybe the partisan leader was right; the U.S.T.G. was nowhere nearby. Ray had them stop on a hill overlooking the park entrance. A large parking lot spread out in front of a low building that had once been the park headquarters.
One of the older men slipped off and disappeared. Derek figured he was scouting the building and the entrance. Maybe Ray had taken Derek’s warning to heart. They waited patiently until the man returned. He and Ray had a whispered, but animated discussion before the man nodded and melted back away. Ray crawled over to lie next to Derek.
“You might be right.” He said with a little concern. “There is evidence someone else has been into the caves.”
“Could he tell who and how long ago?” Derek asked.
“It was recent, but he couldn’t tell exactly who or how many. But he said it didn’t seem like it was more than a handful.” Ray informed them. “We keep stashes in the caves and they are sometimes used by other partisans so it could have been them. But I doubt it. There aren’t any troops out here, so whoever it is they are probably still inside.”
“We have to go in.” Rora stated firmly.
“I know.” Ray agreed. “We just need to be extra careful. The caves are big and there are a lot of places to hide. And once we are in there, there is really only one way out.”
“We understand. We’re not going to blame you if anything goes wrong.” Derek assured him.
“Okay. Micah will take point; he knows the caves the best.” Ray replied as he gestured to one of the boys.
They jumped up and swiftly moved across the open parking lot. Two men stayed behind to cover their entrance and later exit. Micah bypassed the welcome center and led them to the caves entrance. The entrance was a concrete stairwell leading down into the ground. The mouth of the cave gaped open and appeared dark and foreboding. The lights that would have once lit the way no longer functioned, so the partisans pulled out road flares and lit them.
Derek nodded in approval. The red light from the flares would guide their way, but it didn’t ruin your night vision. Also, they could be tossed away if necessary so as not to give up your position. The group resumed the si
ngle file line and slowly followed Micah. Derek grasped his new rifle a little tighter and tried to stay hyper alert. They were very likely walking into an ambush, but they needed to find the ARK. And if someone else had gotten there first, they needed to take the ARK from them.
Micah maintained a slow but steady pace and they were quickly deep into the caves. The path they were traveling was well marked and had safety rails at various intervals to prevent people from falling off. They had reached what was known as Mammoth Dome when he suddenly froze. Mammoth Dome was a large cavern that had various rock formations to see. The path traveled along a small cliff and had rails along the edge.
His hand snapped up in the universal halt sign and everyone else froze also. Micah looked as if he was listening carefully and then Derek saw a look of terror on his face. The kid turned towards them to say something, but before he could speak his chest exploded and he was thrown over the rail from the impact of a heavy round striking him.
Gunfire burst out from the rock formations known as the Ruins of Karnak along the path. Derek counted six weapons firing, plus one more above them somewhere that had killed Micah. The group was only partway into the dome, so the rear members turned and ran. Derek soon heard gunfire from that direction indicating more attackers behind them. He and Rora were pinned down on the path inside the dome, and Shilling was nowhere to be seen.
They had some cover from the railings and a few rock formations and the angle of fire from the gunmen below them made them harder to hit, but it was just a matter of time before the attackers behind them caught them in a crossfire. Derek doubted anyone would be stupid enough to use grenades inside a cave, but you never knew. He and Rora returned fire blindly, firing into the rock formations.
The partisans had thrown their flares as soon as the gunfire started and the light from them gave the cavernous dome an eerie hellish look. Muzzle flashes added their strobe-like light to the mix and bullets sparked off of the stone and concrete. Shadows cast by the rocks moved and flickered as the light sources constantly changed. The roar of the guns was deafening in the enclosed space. The battle was intense and most of the partisans were already down.
