“Kassandra?” Asterope said, incredulously.
“Yeah.” The others looked around. The boys sized her up coolly. Taygete put her hand over her mouth, and her eyes became moist.
“But… you’re not supposed to be fighting!” Asterope said.
“No, I’m not, but I’m gonna do it anyway.”
“The newbie thinks she has something to prove,” Blake said to Thaddeus.
“I do not!” Kassandra said, indignantly.
“Then why are you disobeying orders and coming back out?”
“Because I love this community and want to protect it.”
“To do your part in the war you started?” Blake said. Thaddeus smiled.
“She saved me!” Taygete said, her eyes blazing. “I would have been sexually assaulted and probably dead if not for her.”
Blake looked at her, and then back at Thaddeus. “Maybe so, but she’s still disobeying orders.” The group was now halfway down the corridor that led out into the street. “Go ghost,” Blake said. They pulled on their ski masks and activated their static camouflage. Blake turned to Kassandra. “I’m not going to rat you out, newbie, but I’m also not responsible for you out there. Just stay out of the way and don’t cause any trouble.” Kassandra glared at the back of his head.
----
Just before the metal door that led out into the street, everybody stopped. Kassandra hung back from the rest of the group. Blake pulled a small display unit out of his pocket, and projected a map of the west side of the lower city in midair. It was a glowing rectangle the size of a large computer monitor. “Let’s go over this again,” he said, pointing to the map. “We’re here, in the Inner West Belt.” Straight roads radiated out from the city center, with intersecting circular ones, much like a spider’s web. He pointed to their location, a bright dot halfway along a road that headed due west, at its intersection with one of the circular routes. Rue Borchal. “And Silo Six is here.” He indicated another dot, down and slightly to the right of their position. “It’s four kilometers. The same circular road connects us with them, here. They’ll come in this way, but they’ll take the others to the right and left too. With those bikes of theirs, they might even circle round and attack from the north. We’re going to ambush them, using any cover we can find. The main objective is to repel, not fight. The rules of engagement are, do not fight unless attacked. If we do fight, all weapons are fair game. Our survival is at stake. Got it?”
“Yes sir,” the others said. Kassandra remained quiet.
“Oh, and we already have miniature repeaters set up along the radials, so your radios will work anywhere within a few kilometers,” Blake said. After he had cast a glare at Kassandra, they exited onto a long, bland, concrete and asphalt thoroughfare with a black roof. It looked just like all the others. “This is Circular Route 19. It leads straight to Six. We’ll follow it a couple of kilometers. Use any cover available. Then, we’ll just wait and watch out for them. They’ll be in active camo, like us. ”
“Got it,” Asterope said. The five Defenders walked south along the featureless road. It curved very gently to the left. They watched carefully all around. Burned out vehicles littered the road. The concrete of the roof was slightly cracked in places where the heat had been the most intense. They came to an intersection; another radial road, heading straight out of the city.
“Rue Thierry,” Blake said. They checked it carefully, and then continued.
Soon, they came upon an object of interest. “A tank! Check it out!” Thaddeus said. Its turret had been blown off.
“I think it’s one of the French Army ones,” Blake said. “They came in to try and take this place back from the NPRF. We saw some of the fighting when we were out on raids. That was obviously a fail. This area must still be under rebel control. Even if there isn’t active fighting going on, we need to be watching out for them, too.”
Thaddeus climbed up on the tank, and peered down through the hole where the turret had been. “It’s all destroyed inside. Oh… don’t look in there. There’s a couple of burned bodies.”
“Ugh,” Taygete and Asterope said in unison.
“Get used to it,” Blake said. “I think we’ll see more before this is through.”
The fivesome continued down Circular Route 19, towards Silo 6. Headlights appeared in the far distance. “Uh oh,” Asterope said.
“Cover. Doorways on both sides,” Blake said. He, Thaddeus and Taygete hid in a doorway on the left side of the road, while Taygete and Kassandra hid in one on the right. The groups peeked out as the vehicle approached. It slowed down 100 meters away, to pick its way past two smashed vehicles in the road, and then sped up again. Shortly before it reached the Raiders’ hiding place, it slowed again, to perhaps twenty kilometers per hour. This time, it was not dodging debris. The standard-looking car passed by the doorways. Four figures were seated in it, dressed all in black. Both groups, cowering as far back as they could, looked at each other from across the road, with fear in their eyes. Twenty seconds or so later, it sped up again, and kept heading north, towards Silo 7.
Nobody dared to move until its tail lights were out of sight. Then, Blake beckoned the others to come over to their side of the road. “Not a soul about, and then just one car? What do you suppose that means?”
Taygete shrugged. “It just means this whole place is dangerous as all hell, whether it’s people or vehicles we’re encountering.” She shook her head. “Being a Raider never meant putting our lives on the line before. At least not like this. The worst that would happen is you’d get caught, though that would mean putting X’s secrecy at risk…”
“We haven’t heard a thing from any of the other patrols,” Thaddeus said. “No kind of sitrep at all. It’s weird.”
Blake nodded. “Aimee and Timothy’s squads are somewhere in this vicinity. They headed down this road before we did. Our orders are to stop once we reach Cours Lafayette. That will put us two kilometers from Silo 6.”
“We’d best keep going,” Asterope said.
“Yep,” Blake said. “About another kilometer to go.” He looked ahead. “It’s clear. Move out.” They walked down the left side of the road, in single file. They crossed an intersection with a small local road. Its frontage consisted of apartments, much like David and Vivianne’s street. Continuing, they passed some shops. Like all the others, their windows were broken and insides ransacked. There were no signs of life.
“I expect the Sixers did some of this,” Asterope said, looking at the forlorn storefronts.
“Probably,” Blake said.
“Shh! Get down!” Thaddeus said. The group crouched, up against the wall at the left side of the road.
A voice could be heard in the distance. “O crow of the night, I beseech zee black feathers!” a French accent echoed. “I takest zou art listening?”
“That’ll be the day!” a loud Scottish voice replied. “It’s the end, and we all know it!”
Blake squinted into the distance. “Couple of old drunks, it looks like.”
“What do we do?” Taygete said.
“They’re probably harmless,” Thaddeus said. “Let’s go.”
“Wait! Stay put!” Asterope whispered. “Hear that?”
Nobody dared breathe for a few seconds. The whine of electric motors was just about audible. “Large vehicle, coming down the side street,” Blake said. “Get in this shop!” The group ran forward a few meters, and then turned left into the smashed-in door of a derelict storefront. They looked out through the broken front window, in the direction they had come from. The intersection was perhaps fifteen meters away. They could see the glow of headlights on the asphalt, and then two menacing black armored personnel carriers whooshed past the intersection. Gun barrels pointed out of all four sides.
“NPRF,” Thaddeus said. “All of theirs now have it painted on the side.”
“Yup,” Blake said. “That confirms it, then. They’re in charge down here. Well, no more time to waste. We’ve gotta
get to our post.” They filed out of the shop, and went left, continuing down Circular Route 19.
“Hopefully these guys probably won’t even notice us,” Asterope whispered, as they slowed down to sneak past the drunks. They were old, ragged-looking men. Sure enough, they paid no attention, even as the group passed within ten meters of them.
“Let’s hoof it down to Cours Lafayette,” Thaddeus said. “Hopefully there’s some cover to be had while we stake it out.”
Ten minutes’ marching brought them to the intersection of Circular Route 19 and Cours Lafayette. That road was a wide three-lane highway. The walls were covered with off-white tiles, which reflected the light and gave it a more open, spacious feel than any road that Kassandra had yet seen in the lower city. There was ample evidence that a severe crash had occurred there, in the form of small pieces of wreckage and burn marks in the intersection. The main wreckage, a bus and three cars, had been shunted off to either side to allow vehicles to pass through. The bus was on their side, in the center of Circular Route 19. It was silver. Its body was smashed and twisted, but it was still upright. The front of the bus was towards them, hence the doorway (devoid of a door) was on the left as they looked at it. “I suggest we set up shop in there,” Blake said, pointing at the vehicle.
“Yes,” Thaddeus said.
“Hopefully there are no bodies in it,” Asterope said. “I’ll go and scope it out.” She climbed on board, and walked down the aisle. Turning back, she beckoned to the others. They followed her into the derelict. The vinyl seats were covered in shards of shatterproof glass, but mostly intact.
The smashed-out back window gave a view south, towards Silo 6, two kilometers away. “Should be able to see anyone approaching from here,” Thaddeus said. “Let’s take it in turns to keep watch. I’ll go first.” Thaddeus sat backwards, cross-legged, on the back seat, which ran the full width of the vehicle.
“Only the person watching should have their head up,” Blake said.
Blake and Taygete sat on the next two seats down on the left, while the other two sat on the right. All bowed their heads to to avoid being seen.
All was quiet for a few minutes, apart from the whine and whoosh of a vehicle somewhere in the middle distance. Nobody could see it from inside the bus. “Who or what are we looking for?” Taygete asked.
“People like us,” Asterope said. “Armed to the teeth, of course.”
“Is their active camo better than ours?” Thaddeus said.
“Not that we saw,” Taygete said. “It was the same.”
“No true invisibility cloaks, then. We’d be screwed if that was the case.”
Blake nodded. “I wish we’d brought some tripwire. We could have strung it up across the road somehow, at head level. It’d defeat those motorbikes of theirs.”
“Yeah,” Kassandra said. It was the first word she had uttered since they had left Silo 7. Blake ignored her. He lifted his radio, the size of a small cigarette packet, to his ear, having felt it vibrate. “This is Omega.”
“Charlie squad is in position, four hundred meters to your west,” the voice said. “Victor said they’re also situated, point six klicks east of us, so two hundred meters from you guys. Just waiting on Delta, to form the rest of the outer southern flank.”
“Roger. Thanks, Aimee. We’re set up here, too.”
“I wish we’d brought some food. This could be a long stakeout.”
“Us, too. We wish you well. Out.”
A few minutes later, another call came in: “All squads, this is Oberon. We’re set up two hundred meters behind Blake and company. We’ll have two more squads set up soon, forming the inner southern flank.”
“Copy that,” Blake said. The minutes dragged by. Thaddeus’ vigilance was unwavering. No more was heard from the radio. Eventually the minutes became hours.
“It’s 7 AM,” Taygete said. “We haven’t had a wink of sleep.”
“Yeah,” Kassandra said. “I bet most of the Sixers had at least some rest; the ones that weren’t out raiding, anyway.”
“Yep. Sleep is a weapon. Did you know that?”
“No.”
“In a fight, the best-rested ones will be more mentally and physically agile. It can be as big an advantage as having more powerful weapons or more people,” Taygete said.
“Oh, so they’ve got that going for them as well? Great!” Kassandra said.
Blake turned to her. “No negative talk. Morale is also a weapon.”
“But… surely you have to be realistic though?” Taygete said. Blake merely shrugged and turned his head towards the back of the bus. At that moment there was a screech and a roar as two rockets flew either side of the bus, and hit the roof thirty meters behind them.
“Jesus Christ!” Thaddeus yelled. “Get out of here!” They scrambled to the front of the bus, facing back down Circular Route 19. Another rocket hit the back of the bus, where they had been sitting moments earlier. The explosion lifted it into the air. Blake, Kassandra, Thaddeus, Asterope and Taygete were flung forward, ending up in a pile at the front. They were showered with small burning pieces of metal. Slowly, the back of the bus crashed back down to the ground, with a rending and tearing of metal.
“Run!” Blake yelled. They scrambled to their feet, and ran for the hole that had been the front door.
Thaddeus made it there first, as he had been on top of the pile. He looked to his right, out of the door. “Bikes!” he yelled. “Thirty meters out!”
“E-bomb them!” Blake yelled. Thaddeus pulled several of the small, silver spheres from his utility belt, and tossed them at the oncoming riders. They were in ghost mode, riding the silent gray bikes. The first bomb exploded right next to the rider, sending out lightning all directions. He was stunned. The bike wobbled and then toppled over, skidding to a halt not far from the bus.
“There’s more!” Thaddeus shouted. By this time, everyone in the bus was on their feet. Blake pulled his pistol out, aimed through the smashed-out window to his right, and fired off several shots. The ricochet pings were heard as the bullets hit the floor and then the walls. Taygete and Asterope pulled out pistols in their right hands, and e-bombs on their left. They aimed out of the right side of the bus, opposite to Blake, towards the rear where the riders were coming from. Wide-eyed with fear, they threw their e-bombs and fired at threats that were very hard to see. Kassandra pulled two knives from her belt, with one poised in her right hand, ready to throw. “Still more coming in very fast!” Thaddeus shouted. “Get to that doorway!” He pointed across the road, to an alcove five meters away. “Try and go stealthy, so don’t shoot. Now!” The five fighters scrambled across wrecked seats to the front door, and ran blindly, following Thaddeus.
“God help us!” Kassandra said. She was last out of the bus, and darted across across the road. Five riders bore down on them as they ran. Rockets accelerated past the riders, hitting the bus and blowing it to pieces.
“Anybody hurt?” Taygete said.
“Don’t know,” Asterope said.
“E-bomb them as they pass,” Blake said. “Just chuck them in their path.” All five pulled out the small devices, and tossed them onto the section of road they had just crossed. They rolled slowly, like gently-tossed bowling balls. The bikers were there in seconds. As they passed, the bombs sent out their Tesla coil-like lightning. Three riders were stunned. They collided with each other and went flying. Kassandra also had a knife ready. She aimed and flung it at the lead rider. She missed.
“More coming down!” Blake said. “They’re heading down the other side. Can’t get them.” Nine more ghost riders accelerated. Some swerved to the left side of the road, to put the bus between them and Blake’s squad. A couple of e-bombs were lobbed over the bus, landing within a few meters of the group, who still cowered in the doorway.
“Run! Blake said. They scattered, out into the road. The e-bombs, finding no nearby human targets, hit the wall and rolled to a stop. Blake crouched, holding his gun with both hands, aiming back
up the street where the bikers had come from. None could be seen.
Taygete looked in the other direction. The nine riders were disappearing into the distance. Taygete turned back around, with alarm written all over her face. “They’re not interested in us! They’re heading for Oberon!”
“Crap!” Blake said. He whipped the radio out. “This is Omega. All squads be advised. Sixers inbound on fast bikes down CR19. They’re heading for you, Oberon! Get ready!”
“Roger, Omega!” Alarmed voices could be heard in the background.
“These bikes!” Asterope said, indicating the crashed machines whose riders had been stunned. “Get ‘em and follow ‘em!” The girls ran to the bikes, lifted them with some difficulty, mounted them, and sped off in pursuit.
Blake and Thaddeus just watched the chase, as both friendly and hostile riders quickly disappeared into the distance. The radio spoke up again: “Victor here! We’re under attack! We already have casualties…” It went dead. “Delta here! Waves of riders incoming on CR20! Everyone behind us, be advised!” The sound of shots and the roar of rockets was heard, before it went quiet.
“Oh, crap,” Thaddeus said, shakily. “This is really, really bad.”
“Let’s run down to Oberon’s position to help them,” Blake said. They set off north at a sprint, followed the now-distant riders. Flashes appeared, reflecting from the walls and some of the shinier pieces of wreckage on the ground.
“Stop!” Kassandra yelled, twenty meters from the already-chaotic battle scene. The other two braked, and came to a stop either side of her.
“Why?” Taygete said.
“The NPRF,” Kassandra said. “We go back near Silo 6 and pretend we’re Sixers. First NPRF patrol we see, we attack them. They’ll call in reinforcements and hit the Sixers!”
The others were silent for several seconds. “Kassie, where did that come from?” Asterope said. “You’re a goddamn genius!”
“They’re massacring us,” Taygete said, pointing at the violent, fiery scene twenty meters ahead. Shots and e-bomb flashes rang out, as more Sixers converged from the sides to pitch in. “We’ve got to do it. No time to get permission. Turn around and let’s go.” She made the X sign with both forefingers. Asterope and Kassandra reciprocated. Without another word, they made a U-turn, gunned the throttles and zoomed back along Circular Route 19.
The Extinction Switch: Book three of the Kato's War series Page 15
