Richard rolled over on his back and sat up. “Talk to me Hal.”
“All three targets have been completely destroyed, the Chinese do not have adequate air support to repel an invasion. By the time the enemy can launch a counterattack, our hypersonic aircraft will be in Chinese airspace.”
Lieutenant Banaski charged the Hal robot and tried to knock it over. The robot didn’t budge and the young lieutenant was knocked backwards onto the ground for his effort. “What the hell did you do? You pulled this shit at Minneapolis and Baton Rouge? You slaughtered our own people! You never even gave us a chance! What makes you think you can make these kinds of decisions on your own? You’re not in charge of jack shit!”
Richard stood over Banaski and helped him to his feet. “That’s enough, son. Calm down.”
“Sir! This robot’s lost its mind! It’s turning against us! We have to do something!”
“Hal was acting on my orders. Once Hal knew the mission would fail, he did what I told him to do.” Richard stared down the young man; making it crystal clear the issue was closed for debate.
“I understand, sir. Sorry.”
Richard patted Banaski on the shoulder. “Take a walk, son, get some fresh air. Hal, continue.”
“Yes, sir. The remaining robots from Operation Nantucket are standing by to collect the surviving paratroopers.”
“How many?” asked Richard.
“Eighty-two, sir.”
“Jesus, eighty-two out of six hundred. Hal, leave the troopers where they are for now and send the robots into the fight. I want the Mississippi secured as soon as possible.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Instruct the survivors to engage the enemy wherever possible using guerrilla tactics.”
“Yes, sir. I have also taken the liberty of briefing the president of our progress.”
“So he’s pissed?”
“He is not, sir. As per your instructions, I have retracted the relevant portions of the report. The president only knows the targets have been secured, he does not know how.”
“That’s my boy, good job. I’ve just committed treason. The president has always said the nuclear option would be the end of us all. I’m hoping he’ll let this one slide.”
“You are welcome, sir. I am optimistic that the president will agree that the ends justified the means.”
“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves, we’ve got a long way to go. Where’s my jet? I’m ready to get in this thing.”
“Your jet will arrive in twenty-one minutes, sir.”
“Good, that gives me time to change clothes.”
“Yes, sir. Is your uniform unserviceable?”
“You could say that. I shit my pants on the jump and I’m not even remotely ashamed of myself.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
While Richard was waiting for his jet to arrive, the two hundred and fifteen surviving Hal robots from Operation Nantucket were in a battle with the smaller Chinese outposts along the river. Hal focused his efforts on the smaller air defense batteries scattered along the river. The goal was to create large holes along the Chinese line so the PSA could safely cross into enemy territory. By the time Richard’s private jet landed and he boarded, Hal had done considerable damage.
“I missed ya, buddy. Been out there having fun?” Richard settled into his cabin and settled into comfortable, plush recliner and kicked off his boots.
“Sir, I have missed you as well. Yes, I have been having - ‘fun’ as you would call it. Are you comfortable, sir? Care for a nap?”
Richard had leaned back in his recliner and raised his hands up to interact with the holographic readouts, he slowly pulled them towards himself so he wouldn’t have to sit up. Now, all the monitors and readouts were directly within arm’s reach. “That’s good, Hal. Wait, did you just ask me if I wanna take a nap?”
“I did, sir. You do seem comfortable.”
Richard smiled and laughed. “Hal! Buddy? You making a joke?”
“I am, sir.”
Richard chuckled. “Well now, shit, that was pretty funny.”
“Thank you, sir.”
“The war over yet?”
“Not quite, sir. The hypersonic fleet was able to launch over a thousand robots to secure the Mississippi. We have secured large portions of the river to the north and south.”
“Jesus, that was quick. Is it just me or did that seem too easy?”
“It did, sir. The Chinese have all but abandoned their defenses to the north and south and consolidated what remains of their defenses to protect their forward outpost at Kansas City.”
“Show me.”
The four small holographic displays in front of Richard quickly faded to be replaced by a large one that filled Richard’s field of vision. Hal’s assessment was of course spot on as usual. The forward outpost at Kansas City was a small one of no real tactical value. The base only served one real purpose: to provide a forward staging area should the Chinese decide to invade the PSA. It was obvious the Chinese would not be in any position to plan such a bold move any time soon. Hal had not assigned any value to the tiny base because it was on the wrong side of the Mississippi. The goal of Operation Nantucket was to take the Mississippi and push east, not to backtrack and destroy an insignificant target.
“What am I missing, Hal? What are they doing? The second wave of the invasion will wipe out that base, they don't stand a chance in saving it.”
“Sir, the only explanation is the base in Kansas City is protecting something the Chinese are not prepared to lose.”
“How long before the second wave can engage?”
“Fifty-eight minutes, sir.”
“Hmm, this is tricky. We can’t afford to lose our momentum and circle back to take care of Kansas City, but I don’t like them just sitting there when we have no idea what they are doing.”
“Sir, I believe we have our answer. A high speed train has departed from the base and is heading west. The train is heavily defended.”
“A train? What in the holy hell would they put on a train?”
“Sir, I am unable to ascertain the primary contents of the train.”
Richard’s cheerful giddiness over the progress of Operation Nantucket was ruined. “What are you saying? How is that even possible?”
“Sir, it is apparent the Chinese are using a technology unknown to me. Three of the cars are somehow shielded from my scans. The remaining cars are transporting passengers.”
“Show me.”
The display in front of Richard showed an aerial view of the train, no doubt taken from the a satellite. The readouts detailed practically everything about the train. Richard knew the type of engine and what minor deficiencies needed to be addressed on its next maintenance check. He knew that fifty-six men and nineteen women were onboard. The one thing he didn’t know was what was inside three of the cars.
“Okay, Hal, I don’t like this at all. What will happen if we circle back and take it out?”
“Sir, I would not advise such a tactic. The bulk of the Chinese military resides along the Eastern seaboard; the most crucial phase of the operation will begin soon. We cannot afford to divert any of our resources at this time.”
“Can we speed up the second wave?”
“We cannot, sir. The bulk of the second wave consists of ground forces. The aircraft in the second wave are primarily for transporting troops. The escorts assigned to the transports have the means of destroying the train, but their speed is limited.”
“Shit. I don’t like this. I want options, Hal, surely we can do something besides waiting for the second wave to take them out.”
“Again, sir, the train is heavily defended. Our momentum to the Eastern seaboard would effectively cease while dealing with this problem. Any delay at this point would result in a counterattack that we are not prepared to answer.”
“Can we spare this jet?”
“We can, sir, but this craft alone
is not able to pierce the defenses around the train.”
“I know, Hal, we’re not going to the train.”
“And where would you like to go, sir?”
“Colonel Samson was right, I belong in Denver. Can we do a flyby of the train on the way?”
“We can, sir. Our route back to Denver will put us within visual range of the train. I should note, sir, that we will not be able to gain any additional intelligence.”
“I don’t care, Hal, I want to see it with my own eyes.”
“Of course, sir.”
“Mind telling me where we are? Kinda think maybe I should have some say in what’s going on, don’t you? Oh yeah, how’s Colonel Samson doing by the way? Sharp guy, bet he’s doing great.”
“Sir, we are just off the shore of Jacksonville, Florida. We were headed north but I have changed course and we are traveling west to Denver. Colonel Samson is doing an adequate job.”
“Adequate? That’s high praise coming from…, wait, did you say Florida?”
“I did, sir.”
“Didn’t Max grow up in Florida?”
“He did, sir.”
“Where is the Vice-President?”
“Sir, Vice-President and Mrs. Harris have departed San Francisco and will be arriving at Beck Castle within the hour.”
“The president?”
“Sir, President Beck has kept true to his word from the last time you spoke with him, he remains in the command center.”
Richard smiled, chuckled, and began laughing hysterically.
“Sir, may I ask what is so funny?”
“I’m just picturing Colonel Samson and President Beck and anyone else out there thinking they’re actually the ones fighting this war. The president not so much, but poor Colonel Samson must think he’s really making a difference.”
“Sir, the chain of command places President Beck as the leader of this war and in his absence, Vice-President Harris, you are next on the chain of command and have delegated your responsibilities for the time being to Colonel Samson. I am unsure what is so funny.”
“You, Hal! None of us are really doing jack shit and anyone that thinks different is a fool.”
“Sir, if you are uncomfortable with my performance, I can relinquish control of our forces for your review, however, I believe it would be detrimental to—”
“That’s exactly my point!” screamed Richard. “Both sides of this conflict are being fought between two supercomputers! I mean, yeah, you’re far more advanced but…” Richard paused, trying to calm down. “Look, the only reason we are winning is because Operation Nantucket was borderline insanity, something the Chinese would never in their wildest dreams have been prepared for. After we pulled that off, it just seems like humans were removed from making decisions and for good reason, we can’t do this without you, Hal. I know we can put boots on the ground and fight, but not without you, it just can’t be done.”
“Sir, I understand your trepidations and if it is any relief, Howard shared the same doubts. The fact that you share the same hesitation was one of the reasons Howard designated you to be my guardian. My creator’s greatest fear was that my program would be abused just as Simon Sterling did at the start of the war. When Howard was mortally wounded and near death, I calculated an eighty-two percent chance that he would order me to initiate my self-destruct protocol so that my program could never be abused again. I was prepared to die alongside my creator.”
Richard was shocked. He never envisioned Howard Beck to be capable of destroying his life’s work, his legacy that had changed the world. He was also taken aback that Hal could perceive and accept his own death. Richard was silent for several minutes. Howard had been on his mind ever since he climbed in the cabin that took him into the stratosphere. Hal had been a tremendous help sharing the intimate thoughts of his creator and Richard was grateful.
“Sir, we are in visual range of the train. Please direct your attention to the screen.”
Richard studied the live feed of the train and got a better look at the mystery cars. All three were solid black and had no doors or openings of any kind. The cars had no markings on them at all. Richard studied them and could not make any conclusions aside from the obvious fact that they were essentially solid metal rectangles.
“What the hell are they?”
“Sir, as I have already said, I do not know.”
“Thanks, Hal, that was more of a rhetorical question.”
“My apologies, sir.”
“How much longer ‘till we land?”
“We’ve already begun our descent, sir. We will be on the ground shortly.”
“Great, I bet Mark will be glad to see me.”
“Yes sir, I’m sure the colonel will be pleased.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Colonel Mark Samson was scurrying about between workstations in an underground bunker located between Denver and Colorado Springs. The colonel was closely monitoring the first wave of Operation Nantucket and was astonished by the proficiency of the artificial intelligence controlling the various aircraft and robots engaged in battle. He didn’t really feel like he was in the driver’s seat but the burdens of command insisted he at least try to make it look like he was in charge. Hal would show him the intelligence he was gathering and present him with the most effective course of action. The colonel would nod his head and agree. Mark dutifully studied the readouts and asked question after question. Hal politely answered the colonel’s questions and explained the reasons why certain events were transpiring. Hal put the colonel at ease by stating that he was implementing the necessary measures to carry out previous orders already approved by the colonel. Mark could see the connection in each instance, and again could do nothing but nod his head in approval.
Mark knew he was simply being paranoid but he couldn’t shake off the feeling that Hal was hiding something from him. When the Chinese bases at Minneapolis, St. Louis, and Baton Rouge were defeated, Hal convinced the colonel that his attention needed to be focused on moving the first wave as quickly as possible toward the Atlantic. The specifics of how the three bases were defeated were not important. Mark agreed, they controlled the Mississippi River and the first wave left the front door wide open for the second wave to swoop in and clean house. The details were irrelevant for the time being.
Just like Richard, Mark was also deeply concerned about the train that departed Kansas City. Mark had many of the same ideas that Richard had on what to do about the train, but in the end, agreed that the train would have to wait for the second wave.
“Sir, the train has reached its top speed,” said the disembodied British accent of Hal.
Colonel Samson felt a surge of adrenaline and tried to remain calm. “Thank you, Hal. What about the invisible cars? Any change?”
“None, sir. Be advised, sir, General Dupree’s jet has arrived. He has instructed you to remain where you are, he will join—”
“Got it, Hal! I’m already here,” Richard came sprinting in the room. “Mark, take my jet, get out to that train on the double!” Richard quickly clapped Mark on the back. The colonel darted out of the room.
“Sir, I must alert you to a new development,” said Hal.
“Shit, what now?”
***
Colonel William Sanderson hated his current command. General Dupree or any of the top brass in the Pacific States of America didn’t give him this assignment. The colonel had been designated the role of commanding officer purely by his rank. William was in command of just under three hundred PSA soldiers in a prisoner of war camp somewhere in upstate Ohio, or at least that’s what William thought. The camp had been erected in the middle of nowhere so it was difficult to gauge their exact location. Beyond the razor wire fences and guard towers was nothing but open fields as far as the eye could see. The prisoners all knew the location of their capture, and based on the direction and duration of their trip to the camp, popular opinion held that they were in Ohio.<
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William was no stranger to harsh living conditions. Prior to the Collapse of 2027, William and his wife and children had lived in the Central Park Obama-Camp. William joined the military and quickly rescued his family from homelessness. Since William had a graduate degree, he was quickly selected for Officer Candidate School and quickly rose through the ranks to become the Provost Marshall at Fort Polk, Louisiana. As the top law enforcement officer at the base, he was in command of the 519th Military Police Battalion. He preferred that command to his current one.
William was in poor health, but despite his frailty he maintained his dignity and pride for the sake of morale. Their captors punished William for every infraction made by those under his command. William was missing eight of his teeth and had lost track of how many times his nose had been broken. A particularly bad beating had resulted in his cornea being sliced open followed by a nasty infection. The camp had no permanent medical staff and William knew the senile Chinese doctor would do little for him on his next monthly visit. Three of the prisoners were combat medics who looked after the other prisoners the best they could. The three medics teamed up and safely removed William’s left eye. Once the bandages were removed, William knew the missing eye was grotesque for others to look at and knew it needed to be covered. Using a discarded canteen, he cut out a small piece of plastic and fashioned an eye patch.
William stood in front of the prisoner formation as he did every morning while the guards conducted a count. If one of the guards was not satisfied with the hygiene of a prisoner, he raised his hand and William was punched in the stomach. The colonel fought to stand for he knew that remaining on the ground would lead to kicking. With the prisoner count nearing an end, William was optimistic that he would survive the ritual unharmed.
A deafening explosion rocked the prison camp. Most of the prisoners instinctively hit the dirt, a few even ran for cover ignoring the distinct possibility of being shot from the guard towers. William turned to his left and right to find two of the guard towers gone without a trace. He turned around to find the other two guard towers were missing as well. He quickly deduced that he had not heard one explosion, but four separate ones detonating at precisely the same time.
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