by Jim Roberts
Sadly, there had been no flak jackets in the crates and he couldn't spare more time to check the other hundred or so stacked throughout the room. He also found no grenades or other incendiaries.
Joe sighed. We can't be too lucky now, can we?
He also found a Bluetooth radio set. He tossed one to the doctor. When he offered one to Danny, Yune shook his head, "He won't be able to wear it once the helmet is secure." He saw Joe's worried reaction, "Don't worry, there is a Bluetooth uplink built into the helmet Mr. Callbeck can use to contact us with."
Danny was almost ready. Joe stepped in front of his friend, looking him up and down. Danny smiled, "How do I look?"
"Like Robocop if he hated himself."
Danny grinned, "I guess this is it," he said after a moment of reflection.
Joe nodded, "You OK with the plan?"
"I think so. I just hope this thing works," he gestured to the suit.
Dr. Yune finished connecting the clamps on the back of the suit, making sure they were firm, "It will - I promise."
Joe sucked in a breath and let it out, "Ok first I'm..."
A knock resounded from the door. Joe whipped around. A muffled voice came from behind the iron door, "Doctor Yune, why is this door locked?"
Joe gestured for Yune to follow him, mouthing 'answer him' as he ran towards the door as quietly as he could, the silenced Berretta in his hands.
Yune called out, "Sorry, I was...prepping an important test that I couldn't be disturbed for!"
The voice replied sternly, "Open the door right now, Yune!"
Joe gestured for the Doctor to move to the opposite side of the door so he would be the first thing whoever was on the other side would see. Joe slowly put a hand on the trocar and pulled it free; the silenced 9mm held at the ready. He nudged the door open.
"You ever lock this door again Doc and I'll..." the trooper never got to finish his threat. As soon as the Centurion's helmeted head was in view, Joe shot him point blank. The 9mm slug ripped through the visor of the trooper's helmet, splattering his face across the wall inside the lab. He collapsed into a heap. Joe set the gun down and hauled the heavy-ass trooper through the door, closing it behind them. He and Yune pulled the trooper into the room, setting the dead corpse to rest in the middle of the floor. Then, Joe sprinted back over to the door, replaced the trocar and retrieved his pistol.
"Well, that's torn it. I bet we have ten minutes before they miss this asshole and come looking for him." Joe ran over and grabbed his AK and supplies, "Work fast Doc. I'm heading back up. You have ten minutes, give or take, so make sure you're ready."
Danny gave a thumbs up, "We'll be fine Joe. Give Krieger my regards."
Joe nodded and ran behind the crates. He shoved the equipment into the duct before pulling himself through.
JOE'S RETURN trip through the air duct was going to be much harder the second time. As he moved, he pulled out a small pen flashlight he had found amidst the supplies. Sticking it in his mouth, he turned it on. Since he would be going upwards through the metal duct, he would have to make more noise, possibly alarming anyone in the vicinity. It hardly mattered anymore; the jig would be up in a few more minutes. He had to get back to his room and get Krieger out of his cell.
Joe hoped the Russian wasn't all talk. Otherwise, this would be a very short escape. It occurred to him that he was relying on a man he knew nothing about except his own word. If Joe was wrong about him...
Joe pushed the thought aside. There were still a hundred things that could go wrong with this stunt and he wasn't going to worry about all of them at once. As he shuffled along, he attached the Bluetooth receiver to his ear. Dr. Yune had calibrated it earlier, but Joe hadn't tested it yet. He keyed the device on and spoke softly, removing the flashlight from his mouth to speak clearly, "Test-test, Yune do you read?"
"I read you, Joe." Yune's voice came in a bit too loud. Joe adjusted the tiny volume dial.
"How's it going?"
"Mr. Callbeck is almost finished, Joe. We'll be ready."
"Good. Keep me posted." Joe picked up the pace, pushing himself as hard as he dared through the duct. It was getting progressively warmer as he ascended; the sun should already be up by now, heating the prison upstairs like a furnace.
The sound of voices below him forced Joe to a frenzied halt. He gritted his teeth, praying to whatever deity was listening that no one had heard him.
After a few moments, the muffled voices faded away. Letting out a sigh of relief, Joe continued on.
After a nerve-wracking five minutes, he arrived at his cell. He approached it cautiously, just in case they had discovered his little ruse. He looked through the hole where the grate had been: nothing. The cell was as empty as they had left it six hours ago. Pushing the pack of supplies through first, Joe pulled his body through the narrow grate with a sharp grunt.
Luck is with you so far Braddock.
He set the pack of supplies on the bed and removed the SAW M249. He set it and four fifty-round magazines of armor-piercing ammunition on the bed beside it. Placing the weapons and equipment on the bed, he would have it at the ready to give to Krieger once he had freed the Russian from his cell.
Joe moved to the door and set his ear against it, listening into the hallway. It must still be early because there was no sound at all. He removed the small plasma-cutting tool Doctor Yune had given him and ignited it. Averting his eyes, he swiftly cut the hinges off of the small window in the door. Turning off the cutter, he swung the window back and looked through, his AK at the ready.
There was no one in the hallway. On the opposite side of the corridor, Krieger's window was open.
Just be lucky a bit longer.
Joe called out as loudly as he dared, "Krieger! Krieger, wake up!"
No response.
Where the hell is he?
He tried again, "Krieger wake up, damn you!"
Nothing.
Joe looked around for an idea...any idea.
He got one.
Joe reached down and picked up a small pebble that had been tracked into his cell. He looked through the window and tried to gauge the distance across the hallway. He then stuck his arm out the door and, after taking careful aim, tossed the stone through the window into Krieger's cell.
A loud call resounded from the room, "Chto za huy, who is hitting me with rocks?"
"It's me, Joe Braddock! Wake the hell up!"
Krieger's dark-skinned face filled the window of his cell, "Joe! My American friend! I tried calling you at night and you not answer?"
"Shut up and let me talk! We're getting out right now. Are you ready?"
"Ready? I am Russian! I was born ready my friend. What is plan?"
Abruptly the Bluetooth device on Joe's ear burbled loudly. He clicked it on.
"This is Joe."
It was Dr. Yune that answered, "Joe, we have a bit of a problem."
Joe tensed, "What is it?"
"Well..." the doctor seemed to hesitate, "Danny is unconscious and there's a lot of very angry troopers outside our door and they REALLY want in."
At that precise second, the fortress alarm sounded.
Krieger laughed, "I guess it's time we leave, huh my friend?"
Chapter 9
Rise of a Warrior
TWO MINUTES before Joe arrived back in the cell, Doctor Yune had finally finished calibrating the suit. All that was left was the helmet. Danny tried to get up, but was almost forced back down; the suit weighed a ton.
"Doc, I can barely move," Danny rasped.
"Do not worry, once the suit has been activated, it will be as light as air." Yune pushed the helmet over Callbeck's head and slide it into the proper attachments. He then moved to make a few small adjustments on the metallic wrist bracers that surrounded Danny's arms. On his right wrist was the general control panel for the suit's primary power control. Before Yune activated it, he paused to ask Danny a final question.
"How does it feel?" asked Yune, bra
cing himself.
"I don't feel anything," replied Danny, his raspy voice barely registering through the helmet.
Yune smiled, "No, but you will."
And with that, he activated the power core.
The entire suit convulsed in a frenzy of pent-up energy. A massive surge of electrical power shot through Danny's body, jolting him to his feet. He vaguely thought he heard Doctor Yune explaining the effects, but the pain was too unbearable for him to listen.
"The suit is going to latch itself onto your endocrine system. The initial pain should last a few seconds. The electric impulses are a result of the suit stabilizing to the power core frequency. Don't fight it!"
Danny writhed as the suit came alive. Power pulsed through his nervous center unheeded, fusing the suit to his nerves in an orgiastic explosion of electricity. Yune stood back, marveling at the result of the combination of machine and man. Danny Callbeck was being physically attached to a symbiotic entity.
Danny lurched to his feet. The pain didn't subside.
"I...can't...take...turn it off!"
Yune couldn't hear him. It felt like the suit was cooking him alive. Danny walked a few agonizing paces, before being brought to his knees. The pain was like a rebirth; he was being recreated as something new; something formidable. The pain became excruciating. He fell to his hands and knees as the suit burned with a near white hot intensity. Danny howled in pain.
And then it was over.
DANNY FELL to the side. The suit was smoking; an acrid smell drifted into the air. Yune dropped to the Canadian's side.
"Mr. Callbeck? Danny, are you alright?"
Danny was silent.
Suddenly a loud pounding sounded from the door.
"Open the door immediately Dr. Yune!" came a voice Yune could only assume was an Olympus trooper. The banging grew louder. There were definitely more than a few of them outside the lab. The door was not going to hold long.
Yune tapped the Bluetooth device on his ear to speak to Joe. His voice came back, loud and clear.
"This is Joe."
"Joe, we have a bit of a problem," said Yune
"What is it?"
"Well...Danny is unconscious and there's a lot of very angry troopers outside our door and they REALLY want in."
The fortress alarm began to sound. Yune's heart started to jackhammer. He pounded on the suit; it was surprisingly cool.
"Wake up Danny! Wake up!"
The door pounded again and again. The hinges were going to come loose in a minute.
Yune could only sit by his unconscious companion's side and wait.
AS THE alarm blared through the fortress, Joe had to act quickly. He keyed his mic, and said, "You're gonna have to sit tight Doc. I've got incoming of my own."
He powered on the plasma cutter and worked on the hinges of the cell door. The cheap iron construction gave way to Yune's superior technology almost instantly. He kicked the door open and raised his rifle, covering the hallway.
Krieger laughed from behind his cell, "Excellent my friend. Now get me out."
Joe had to be sure, "If I do, you follow my orders to the letter, clear?"
"Come on and let me out!"
"Not until you swear. Follow my orders or sit in there and rot!"
Krieger grimaced, but nodded, "Alright tovarisch, I swear. I follow you wherever you go."
Joe nodded, "I'll hold you to it. Stand back."
Krieger did so. Joe pocketed the arc welder and brandished his .357. There was no point in silence anymore. He fired two bullets evenly at the iron hinges on Krieger's door. It came apart with ease. Sheathing the pistol, he hoisted his AK-101 and spotted the hallway.
"Door's open, come on!"
Krieger smashed through the door with a powerful kick. It was now Joe finally got a good look at the mercenary. He was nearly six-foot-six, a solid two-hundred thirty pounds of iron hard muscle. He wore a foul looking pair of old jeans and a gray t-shirt. His left arm was stenciled with intricate tattoos Joe couldn't decipher. Joe had been right, though—this guy had the look of a born killer and a killer was what he needed right now.
Krieger laughed, "Ha! Private Military fools! Try keeping this bad boy caged!"
"Shut up and grab a gun from my cell!"
Krieger seemed to be loving this, but he did as he was told.
"Ahh good, you have a SAW! Now I feel like man again!" Joe spared a quick glance and saw Krieger checking the sight on the machine gun.
"Take what you need and get out here! I can hear them coming now!"
Sure enough, the sound of boots falling on hard concrete reverberated through the fortress. Joe knew they had to move quick if they were to avoid getting boxed in. Krieger appeared at the edge of the cell door, staying in cover. He had the extra magazines attached to an ammo bandolier draped around his neck.
Joe moved to the cover provided on the opposite side of the corridor in Krieger's cell, AK at the ready, "Here they come!"
At the moment, a loud rumble shook the foundations of the fortress. Dust poured from the rafters and Joe had to right himself as he was almost thrown off his feet.
Krieger looked around in wonder, "What in God's name was that?"
Joe knew immediately, "Danny."
Danny Callbeck had lain in a heap for over sixty seconds. The explosive force of the suit powering on had overloaded his brain and caused him to black out. But the sight that awaited him when he came to was worth every bit of that pain.
This time, unlike with the sunglasses before, he could actually see.
Doctor Yune hadn't been lying about the suit providing even better imaging to his ocular senses. It wasn't perfect, but the view being beamed into his mind's eye by the suit's ocular functions was extraordinary. The suit seemed to project a heads-up-display straight into his mind, giving him an amazing view. Of course, he was flat on his back and his view at the moment was the ceiling of the lab.
A familiar voice above him was yelling loudly.
"Danny, wake up! They're coming in!"
Danny had never felt so alive in his life. The past few days of endless darkness were like a bad dream.
He felt reborn.
Now it was time to save his friends.
Yune was about to hit the suit again when Danny raised an arm to halt him. He slowly got to his feet, the suit doing all of the work, making it feel effortless. He felt as light as a feather.
A loud sound erupted at the door.
The troopers were shooting their way through.
Not much time.
Danny looked over at the Gauss Rifle, beckoning from its case in the corner.
Inside the suit, he smiled.
He jogged over, leaned down and hoisted the massive weapon in his hands. Thumbing on the power switch, he felt the cannon charge up in his arms.
"Danny, they're almost in!" yelled Yune.
Danny Callbeck walked back to stand in front of the almost-destroyed door. He leveled the gigantic rifle at it.
Before he blew it and every soldier behind it straight to kingdom come, he spoke quietly:
"Danny Callbeck is no more. There is only Whisper."
Chapter 10
Run, Shoot, Jump
KRIEGER LOOKED at Joe in disbelief, "Danny? You mean the Eskimo blind man with you?"
Joe rolled his eyes at the racist statement, "Yes that guy. And he's Inuit not Eskimo, moron."
"Sorry, sorry, just not up on all your American-type lingo and catch-phrase, no?"
God this guy was annoying, thought Joe, as he aimed the AK-101 from his bent-kneed position. Danny must have used the Gauss rifle. That meant the Doctor had finished the suit in time.
Joe felt several more explosions wrack the fortress beneath them. Danny must be having a hell of a time down there, he thought.
Krieger leveled his SAW, prepping the heavy machine gun.
"Here they come, my friend," said Krieger, his muscular arms gripping the weapon with staunch assurance.
"Their armor is weakest in the arms and helmet visor. These weapons are loaded with armor piercing rounds, but I have no idea how well they'll work against the Centurion's uniforms. Pick your shots carefully."
Krieger nodded, his flippant tone growing serious, "Mmm, Dah."
"We need to fight them back and make our way towards the other cells. Once there, you watch my back as I free my men!"
"Sounds like a plan. Good luck my friend!"
Joe nodded, "Same to you." Joe waited for another few seconds. As soon as he saw the glowing green tint of the first Olympus Centurion's visor, he opened fire, unleashed a torrent of bullets at the lead trooper. He saw his first burst catch the soldier in the helmet visor; snapping the Centurion's neck back as his face exploded in a burst of chrome and blood.
Krieger opened up with the SAW MG. The gun was so powerful, it almost split Joe's eardrum from his position parallel to the Russian. Krieger fired the massive gun from waist level, barely seeming to aim the weapon, but hitting his targets with outstanding accuracy anyhow. Joe saw two Centurions torn apart by the force of the high-bore bullets ripping through their bodies. Their surprise attack had worked for the time being, but now the Olympus troops would be prepared.
The lights above them started to flicker on and off. Even though it was morning outside, the fortress relied on artificial light for its operation. Danny must be wreaking havoc with that gun down below, thought Joe, firing another steady burst from his AK.
The feeding mechanism soon clicked dry on an empty magazine. Joe shouted out loudly, "Changing!" Krieger took the initiative and unleashed a massive burst of fire from the SAW. Joe ejected the spent magazine and speedily flipped it around to the alternate magazine taped to the side. He slapped the magazine in place, yanked back on the charging handle and continued firing.
"Changing!" shouted Krieger, who did the same with his SAW. The large gun took a few extra seconds to load due to its size and bulkiness. Krieger handled the weapon as if it were the easiest thing in the world. As the Russian reloaded, Joe's own clip ran dry. He ejected the spent dual cartridge and prepared a fresh taped magazine.
