Fire and Steel

by Gavin Magson

  “Rose is here already? I must have slept in.” said Miles, letting out a long yawn as he stretched out the tight muscles of his back. When he opened his eyes again he swore. “I thought my message was clear about the dangers involved? I told you to leave Ward somewhere safe and far from here.”

  “That wasn’t possible; my son is safest when he is with me. I don’t precisely have a large family network that I could rely on to watch him.”

  “This changes everything, Rose; I had planned for only the four of us to be involved in the disarmament of Boden.”

  “Don’t panic about Ward, he can take care of himself. Now that I have seen your top-secret hideout there’s no reason that Ward can’t stay behind and guard your possessions. Look, you asked me to come here to do a job and here I am. So, what is the plan?” she asked, gaze firmly fixed on Miles as the man clambered to his feet.

  “Don’t take all this personally, lad, I just don’t want to see you come to any harm.” Miles ruffled the unkempt hair on Ward’s head, causing the quiet figure to laugh and push the hand away. “Boden’s men have started using the exoskeletons to terrorise the population, and to protect the compound he recently captured from what little remains of the gangs he hasn’t already had publicly executed.

  “The exo’s need to be deactivated, as a bare minimum, just to help ease the stress and torment placed on the civilians. If we, as in my squad, are to have any hope of putting down that mad dog then we will need the exo’s to combat Boden and his men. Only the two of you have the knowledge of resetting a deactivated exo, which is why I need your help. Tell me what we need to provide you and then we can all brainstorm the plan.”

  Rose set down the two satchel bags she had carried down the ladder on her left shoulder and began withdrawing items from the larger of the two, removing several tools and pieces of equipment which she lay down on what little free space was offered by the ground.

  “This is everything I’ll need to perform the reset. This terminal will allow me to monitor and inject code into the suit, whilst this interface cable is what will allow me to make a direct connection between suit and terminal. All these tools are purely for removing some of the plates to access the local network connection. The terminal is loaded with the correct version of code, which has been proven as working. There is no other way to perform the reset than with me physically in front of one of those suits.”

  “I feared as much.” said Miles, retrieving the kill signal generator from within his own pack. “Eighty feet of range; is that still correct?”

  “Yes, but closer would be better to ensure that the terrain didn’t degrade the signal from being received. There is one problem, two technically; the pair of exo’s that Ward and I used never had kill switches installed. I had time to daube some old orange paint on the rear of the suits, so it’s possible we’d identify them in advance if this hasn’t worn off, but what if the suit targeted isn’t taken offline by the signal?”

  “Good question. I’m glad you had the idea to mark the suits, though it would be best that we plan for the worst-case scenario that we can’t remote disable the suit. Right, any suggestions?” asked Miles.

  “Are we agreed then? Rex and Jerry are our decoys, they’ll take out as many mercenaries as they can in the initial attack, positioned either side to confuse the squad. Whichever direction the mercs move in, or even if they split, I’ll follow the exo and, after Rose triggers the kill switch, will take out its pilot. If the exo doesn’t stop, I’ll attempt to kill the pilot but, if I can’t get the shot, will switch to the backup plan and use High Ex rounds to permanently disable it. The rest of the squad need to be mopped up sharpish, no need for this to be pretty.

  “We should be prepared for if the survivors of the initial attack manage to alert another squad or someone higher up in Boden’s organisation of the attack. Rose will have to act quick in reenabling the exo, and she will pilot it as we exit the area. If there are any hiccups with Rose’s repair then we trash the exo to disguise the kill switch.” Miles did not rush his words, speaking slowly to ensure he did not gloss over any aspects of the plan.

  “I don’t think that we are likely to put together something better.” weighed in Rex, looking at the faces of each person in turn in case there was an objection.

  “What ammunition have you got for the exo’s armour?” asked Jerry.

  Miles checked through the pouches of his rucksack, pulling out all loose rifle ammunition he could find. These he laid down on the floor before him, allowing the other seated figures to better look at his reserves.

  “A dozen High Ex, a pair of two stage, five armour piercing, which we already know go through an exo’s reinforced screen, and three burst shots.” he answered.

  “Armour piercing seems the logical choice, you’d best keep a magazine loaded with High Ex so that you can quickly swap and take out a non-modified exo; I’d guess it could take a good three or four to compromise that armour. Five armour piercing, five exo’s; best make sure you don’t miss.” said Jerry.

  “Let’s take this one exo at a time, if we stumble across a pair of them I don’t think the risk is worth trying to take down two. Once we’ve one exo under our command we can always reassess the strategy to take out more. Enough with talking, lets pack up and ready ourselves; we’ve only an hour or so of good light left before sunset.” ordered Miles.

  The three men and Rose prepared their equipment and supplies, all the while Ward was sat on a bed roll out of the way. He now wore a pair of glasses with a pair of variable lenses, a quiet whir barely heard as they adjusted often. In his hands he twisted and turned a thin cylinder that had been split open down its centre. The internals weren’t overly complicated, rather the wiring was fiddly due to the thin gauge of wire used and the placement of the small power source.

  Ward rested the item on his lap, hunched over and peering at the varying connections through the magnifying lenses. Ward picked up a silver-grey stick from a tool bag beside him and bent a wire into place with a pair of pliers. He rubbed the wire with the end of the stick and almost instantly it stuck fast to a contact, and the air was briefly filled with a metallic odour. Ward returned the stick back to its rightful place before using a probe to monitor the charge within the power source. A series of green and amber lights greeted him and, satisfied with the results, Ward neatly tucked away the internals and snapped shut the cylinder.

  “Everyone ready?” asked Miles, breaking the groups silence.

  “Mam, the Pulsar is ready if you want to take it as back up.” Ward offered the device towards Rose, who took it with a warm smile on her face.

  “What is that for?” asked Rex, eyeing up the cylinder.

  “It’s a portable electromagnetic emitter. I didn’t mention it earlier as Miles’ urgent message did not leave us with much time to put one together. In theory, and since it hasn’t been tested yet I don’t propose we rely solely on it, one of these detonated next to an exo will permanently put it out of service. It’s more a last resort, but Ward has done great work getting it ready in time.”

  “It wasn’t that difficult, if we’d brought more supplies I could have made up another. I hope you don’t have to use it.” said Ward.

  “Don’t downplay your work, son; you make me proud, and jealous, every day. I’ll be back real soon and then we can think about opening our repair shop.”

  Rose gave her son a long hug, savouring the feeling of his arms squeezing around her back. When she pulled away Rose saw the worry on his face, which made her heart ache.

  “I’ll be fine out there, I’ve three trained soldiers to keep me safe and bring me back to you soon. If you’ve nothing to keep you busy whilst I am away check what’s half-finished in my pack, there should be something to occupy you with. Just remember, unless it’s a life or death emergency, do not leave this hideout until we are back. Do you remember the knock Rex used?” Ward nodded immediately and used an empty magazine and the pliers to tap out the knock. “Good, listen out fo
r it and only open the hatch if you hear that. Be safe.”

  Rose hugged her son one last time, kissing his cheek as she pulled away. Rose gathered what she had laid out on the floor and packed it all away in the satchel bag she had emptied out previously.

  “I’m ready, Miles, lead the way.” said Rose.

  “Rex will take point, followed by me and then yourself, Jerry is our rear-guard. We will head up the ladder in that order and maintain silence above ground until out of the area; patrols have been increasing nearby the last few nights. Ward, the restraints can be a little fiddly to release, just be careful and don’t rush. They are easy enough to tighten though, as you’ll find out. Rex, after you.”

  Rex was quick to climb the ladders rungs, Miles’ annoyance at the noise he made short lived as Rex soon reached the hatch. Moments later Rex had confirmed there was no one in close vicinity to the hatch and disconnected his tablet from the cameras feed. He loosened the two restraints and pushed open the hatch, using a short length of cord Jerry had tied to the internal handle to lower the hatch gently.

  Miles took the open hatch as sign the coast was clear and began to climb, exercising more caution that Rex had before him. Rose followed shortly after, flanked by Jerry once she stepped out into the darkening evening light. Rose moved back to watch her son climb up after them and whispered quietly, “I’ll be back before you have time to miss me. Try and get some sleep.”

  Ward nodded and waited for the hatch to be lowered back into position. Once closed he tightened the two restraints, which seemed simple enough to him. He climbed back down the ladder and sat beside his mother bag, pulling out the top item. Whatever it was his mother can’t have spent long repairing it, as Ward could identify at least four failed components from either discolouration or damaged casings. He smiled with the knowledge that it would be a decent challenge to repair, soaking up a good deal of time whilst he waited for everyone to return.

  It was almost an hour later that Ward sat up straight, stretching out his back whilst he watched the child’s toy dance silently around in a wide circle. Ward had the foresight to disconnect the miniscule speakers before attempting to energise the toy, as he had no way of knowing how noisy it would be without testing first. The toy seemed to work fine, but he’d have to wait until his mother was back to ask her if she knew its original function.

  Ward pulled the bag onto his lap and moved aside several items, briefly glancing over each to try and find something in worse repair than the toy had been. What he found towards the bottom of the bag caused his heart to sink: it was the interface cable, which he knew was required to reprogram the exo’s.

  Ward didn’t know what to do, his heart racing as panic set in. Rose had told him to stay put and await their return, unless it was life or death. Without the cable they could only disable an exo, it would be useless to try and connect the terminal without it. His head hurt trying to consider the two choices before him, stay and hope they returned soon having realised their mistake or wander out into the night, hoping to track them down. He wished someone had left him a tablet.

  Ward unholstered the pistol Miles had once given him and checked its operation, and that it was loaded with a full magazine. He placed the cable within a pocket and drew a deep, steadying breath before ascending the ladder. At the top Ward didn’t pause, knowing to do so would let more doubt creep in. He undid the restraints and opened the hatch, lowering it as he had seen Rex do. With no other way of securing it Ward closed the hatch behind him and hoped no one would stumble across it later.

  Ward stepped out from the buildings remains and checked his surroundings in the failing light. The building opposite had an external staircase that lead up to the roof, from here he couldn’t see anything blocking him from using it. Ward glanced both ways before crossing the street, heading for higher ground in the hopes of tracking down his mother. He could feel the fear begin to raise his heartbeat once more, and there was little he could do to quell it.

  Chapter 38

  The cloudy night obscured the light of Konar’s twin moons, leaving much of the sector in near darkness. Rex moved without sound, his heavy boots left behind in favour of thin sole shoes that meant he felt every stone, bullet casing, and suspiciously squelchy matter he dared not look back at.

  Up ahead he could hear the thumps of an exoskeletons feet as they met the roads surface, along with conversation between the squad of mercenaries. He knew why the mercs were so blasé, with a hulking exo making such a racket, and offering terrifying firepower, what point was there in attempting to be quiet?

  Jerry would be approaching from the other side of the street, creeping as Rex was up a side street or alley to put himself in a position to take down multiple mercenaries. Rex halted in the lee of a door at the rear of a building, waiting patiently as the voices neared his location. Rex knew that not even the sharpest eyes would be able to spot him from the street, especially with the glare from streetlights reducing anyone’s visibility. It wasn’t that Boden’s men weren’t well trained, he could tell as they passed him that, from the uneasiness of some of the mercenaries, part of the squad was still alert for an attack, but complacency and boredom had obviously taken its toll.

  He counted nineteen mercenaries and the exo at their centre, the two squads slowly walking along the street, obviously in no great rush to return to base. Rex spotted two figures he hadn’t noticed earlier, they appeared chained and gagged, their restraints tied to the back of the exo that towed them onwards. He wasn’t surprised to find that they were both young women; Boden needed to keep his men entertained somehow.

  Rex knew what Jerry had planned for the dual squad and doubted both women would be fortunate enough to survive it. To use his tablet now would be to bathe himself in light and give away his position; he had no choice but to stick to the plan and hope there was little collateral damage.

  Stepping out of the doorway Rex crossed the narrow alley, swapping the rifle to his left shoulder so that he could press up behind the corner of the building and hide the majority of his body. He used his free right hand to set his next magazine down on the ground before him, ready for if he needed to change. Rex knelt and brought up his gun to train it on the lead mercenaries some seventy feet from his sanctuary.

  The recoil was a familiar friend, so used to it was Rex that he did not need to consciously think of how long it took to level his weapons sights. Bullet after bullet he fired with well-practiced precision, calmly waiting between round to get the best possible shot on the next mercenary. Three were dead or dying before those at the squad’s rear had even turned towards him.

  A hail of bullets chipping and cracking the brickwork made Rex withdraw behind cover, trying to calm the urge to run that built within him. He had counted to four before the tell-tale blast of Jerry’s shotgun entered the firefight. Except the noise was not the one Rex had become accustomed to, as there was a horrendous whistling that followed each flechette round as the two-dozen darts filled the air, maiming and killing anything in Jerry’s path.

  Rex kept himself safe behind his cover whilst the bullets fired his way quickly petered out, the mercenary’s attention drawn to the opposite side of the street. Using a mirror he kept within his jacket Rex positioned it to his right such that he could quickly scan over the carnage beyond. None of the mercs seemed to be paying him much attention and he prepared once more to gun them down.

  Miles waited patiently, his breathing steady as he calmed the urge to join in with the ambush. From his position on the rooftop Miles could see Rex waiting out the counterattack but didn’t have line of sight on Jerry as him and the death dealing shotgun joined the fray. Miles counted at least seven bodies on the floor, and the entire attack had barely lasted a few moments.

  Rex was once more shooting at the survivors, Miles had been too distracted to see the moment he re-joined the fight. Miles turned his attention to the exoskeleton as its pilot rotated the hulking suit. The exo’s main flaw was its manoeuvrability, which was po
or at best. Whilst it could build up a decent head of steam if made to run forwards, the suit was cumbersome and unwieldy in narrow quarters or when having to turn quickly.

  Miles noticed the halt in shotgun blasts, which he took to mean Jerry was seeking shelter since his drum magazine should have plenty of ammunition left. Miles grinned as the exo finally completed its half revolution. He had the perfect view of the female pilot, who was adjusting the gun arm’s aim towards Jerry’s position.

  Miles steadied his breathing and sighted along the barrel of his rifle, using his augmented eyesight to magnify his view of the target. With a blink of his eye he refocused on the woman, who was animatedly shouting at whatever she was fixated upon. He would never forget the look of surprise she had when the suit halted mid step as the kill signal rendered it immobile. Miles pulled the trigger and watched as blood and brains bathed the suits cockpit with gore. The exo, off balance, pitched forwards, crashing to the ground.

  A lull, brief as it was, seemed to wash over the mercenaries at the exo pilot’s death. They forgot the threats in front of them as the remaining nine turned to see the machine oozing blood, crumpled in a heap. The High Ex round that more than halved their numbers brought the four mercenaries back into the present, with two having the foresight to dive for cover.

  Jerry aimed at chest height and filled the air with his last two flechette rounds, which scythed through the less survival conscious remains of the two squads. He could see Rex signalling him that there were more mercenaries under cover, which he replied to say he was having to reload.

  Jerry dropped the drum magazine out of his shotgun and used two quick loading tubes to push through eight standard shells. Before he had time to chamber the gun Jerry heard shouting from some distance up the street.

  “Heavy fire, three or more shooters, most of squad dead. Send backup. They hav-” The remains of the sentence was cut off as a second High Ex round blew through the rubble the men hid behind, turning everything into high speed shrapnel that tore through their bodies effortlessly.