The Blackstar Gambit

by Jan Domagala

  Matt looked across the space between the Capitol building compound and where he had seen the work van parked and saw the group of men seeming to prepare to go to work.

  “Colonel, get everyone down in that bunker right now. I think I know where the threat is,” he said as De Boer walked past him.

  The Colonel stopped and looked in the direction Matt’s gaze was fixed.

  “You think they have something to do with this?” he asked.

  “I’ve had a bad feeling about them the moment I saw them,” he told him. “There’s something familiar about them, especially the smaller one, I don’t know what it is but...” he added leaving the sentence to drift off to nothing.

  De Boer nodded and said, “I’ve grown to trust your instincts Matt, if you say there’s something wrong with them then I’ll take your word.”

  He motioned for one of the Marines to come over to him. “Captain Meyer, you and Birch are with Captain Hawk. Follow his lead until I get the delegates safely underground,” he said.

  “Copy that, sir,” Meyer agreed, and then waved his hand, the other Marine double-timed it over to them.

  De Boer left them to escort Sinclair down to the bunker hundreds of feet below the monument, a relic of the cold war era centuries before. It was built to withstand a nuclear war and so the reasoning was that the delegates would be safe there while the summit took place.

  Matt waited for him to go before speaking.

  “That work van over there is our target,” he said which immediately focused the attention of the two Marines on it.

  “How many hostiles are we talking, sir?” Meyer asked.

  “I’ve seen four but I can’t be certain there aren’t more,” Matt replied.

  “Are you sure they’re hostiles sir? What if they are just simple workmen waiting to get this renovation completed?” asked Birch.

  Matt glanced at the Marine. He said, “If they’re workmen where is the rest of the crew? Surely, there would be more men on the job? If General Sinclair had arranged for the summit to be held here don’t you think he would alert the work crews to clear the site for the next few hours?”

  “Point taken sir, I had to ask though,” conceded Birch.

  “And you were right to ask Marine,” Matt told him.

  “So what do you think they’re up to, sir?” Meyer asked as all three of them looked down at the white van.

  “Let’s go ask them,” Matt said as he walked off leaving the two Marines staring at his back in surprise.

  Meyer looked at Birch who smiled and said, “I like him.”

  The two of them went off after the larger man.

  12.21 s.e.t.

  Tomas saw the three men walking towards them through one of the windows in the back door of the work vehicle.

  “Whoa! They’re coming down towards us,” he said pulling out his pistol.

  Visjic glanced in the direction Tomas was nervously looking and saw them too. He put his hand on Tomas’ to stop him jumping out of the back of the vehicle to confront the newcomers.

  “Wait and see what they intend on doing before you go off half-cocked,” he instructed calmly.

  “How can you remain so calm?” Tomas grunted as he looked into the eyes of the smaller man. What he saw unnerved him. There was no emotion at all. The man was not natural.

  “I’m calm because I’m not an idiot like you all. What can they do to us? Are they going to come down here, guns blazing like in some cheap movie? I’ll tell you what they’ll do; they’ll ask us to move on, as this is a restricted site. That is when we kill them,” Visjic said confirming what Tomas already suspected, that he was insane.

  Tomas looked at the other members of his team and shook his head. They had heard Visjic’s plan and had the same reaction as Tomas.

  He waved his hand to tell them to wait and see how it played out.

  Visjic smiled and said, “Okay, now.”

  Tomas was confused and it showed on his face. What was going on here?

  Visjic stood and waited as the trio got closer.

  They all heard another vehicle approach, it sounded large and heavy and Tomas turned to see what it was.

  An eighteen-wheeler truck came from the road nearby and ran straight through the cordon around Capitol Hill and headed towards their position. It smashed through the barricades set up and the guards fired upon it with no effect.

  Visjic glanced at Tomas and said, “I thought we might need a little backup.”

  Tomas returned his smile but was wary, this was getting way out of control and he was beginning to see he had got involved in something that was not going to end well for any of them.

  12.22 s.e.t.

  “What the fuck!” Matt exclaimed when he saw the truck barrel through the barricade.

  He drew his pistol and got ready to fight.

  “Okay boys get to cover,” he said to the two Marines with him. “Colonel we have incoming,” he said through a comm channel he had in place with De Boer.

  He was about to move to find some cover when the truck pulled up close by the van where Visjic was standing.

  The rear doors of the container the truck had been hauling suddenly flew open. From the back dropped a stream of armed men.

  A flurry of plasma bolts was aimed in their direction forcing him and the two other Marines to duck behind the nearest cover.

  Luckily for them all the rubble had not been cleared away from the site so there were a few good boulder-sized chunks of masonry lying around they could hide behind.

  Before they knew it, they were pinned down.

  29

  12.25 s.e.t.

  Visjic smiled as he saw the three men run for cover.

  Nothing would stop him now.

  The rest of his team piled out of the back of the truck carrying an assortment of heavy weapons.

  Three heavy gauge pulse cannons fitted on tripods were placed evenly apart in front of the truck covering the compound. On Visjic’s command, they opened fire on the gun emplacements inside the compound.

  The gun crews of these details were cut down in short order, leaving the other Marines on duty guarding the site to be shot down by the greater numbers of Visjic’s team.

  Matt saw all this happen from his position, unable to help. He knew if something didn’t drastically alter in the next few seconds, his fate would be the same as those who just died.

  “Cover me!” he shouted over the roar of gunfire.

  Meyer and Birch raised their Remm M25s above their cover and let loose a few rounds in the direction of the hostile force.

  Seeing his chance Matt stood up holding his Sig P999 in a double-handed grip and fired several rounds off. His aim was off for the first few but he soon zoned in on his targets and they began to drop.

  Three double taps to the torso finished off three members of Visjic’s advancing team. As they went down others saw that there was a resistance building and their advance faltered for a moment.

  A moment though was all that Matt needed. He ran from his cover towards another clump of rubble across from them. His hope was to catch the advancing soldiers in a crossfire between him and his Marine comrades.

  Visjic, recognising the tactic, ordered one of his men to fire an RPG his way.

  The rocket powered grenade struck the clump of rubble Matt was heading for just before he arrived. Chunks of rubble and broken masonry exploded into the air by the blast and Matt saw it too late.

  There was nowhere to go and before he could brace himself he was smashed down by a large boulder-sized chunk of rubble.

  Meyer and Birch saw it happen and stood up to fire their assault rifles.

  Visjic saw their reaction and directed his man to fire another RPG at them. The small explosive landed between them and exploded with devastating force. The two Marines were hurled high as the shockwave battered their bodies just as the shrapnel tore them to bloody bits.

  Bloody body parts rained down on the ground like some grotesque weather pattern n
ot far from where the RPG had detonated.

  Visjic simply smiled then continued with his advance towards what was left of the Capitol Building.

  12.27 s.e.t.

  Inside the Capitol Building, the delegates had all entered the bunker deep beneath the building. They were completely unaware of the situation up above as no sound could travel through the tons of earth and concrete between them and the fresh air.

  Only two people were aware of the situation: General Sinclair and Colonel De Boer who had been in contact with Matt the whole time.

  When they momentarily lost contact with him Sinclair feared the worst.

  Marshalling his thoughts, trying to keep his expression neutral, he ushered the delegates to be seated around the huge wooden table in the centre of the large conference room. He watched impatiently as each delegate took their seat, ensuring they had the best view possible of the many monitor screens dotted around the room.

  Turning to the side, he glanced at De Boer. They both knew it was time.

  Sinclair was connected with Matt during the brief battle that had raged up above them, and two others.

  He nodded to De Boer, who was also in the communications loop.

  De Boer turned away from the others and said, “Okay Kurt, make your move. It’s time to take out the trash.”

  12.28 s.e.t.

  Seated in one of the passenger seats behind the pilot in the attack heli jet Kurt gave the signal to move in.

  He glanced across the aisle at Zara and winked. Like De Boer had said, it was time to take out the trash.

  The Hybrid aircraft they were in was one of the new craft supplied by RandCorp and was a helicopter jet cross. Based on the old Osprey design but with greater load capacity and more powerful armament than the previous versions, this craft was built for battle. Codenamed the Sky Panther, it looked the part, sleek and deadly and decked out in jet-black stealth paint.

  Kurt had co-ordinated with Colonel De Boer when he had been ordered back to Washington Spaceport and informed him of his plan. The Colonel had agreed and had ordered the craft to the spaceport from Fort Bragg where it had been stationed.

  Also on board was a compliment of Recon Delta Marines from ‘C’ Battalion.

  The pilot had positioned the craft down behind a building out of sight a block away from Capitol Hill but within easy reach should the need arise which Kurt knew it would.

  Once in the air the craft reached attack speed and approached from the air, weapons hot and targeted on the intruders.

  Kurt, Zara and the contingent of Marines all wore harnesses attached to zip lines so they could rappel down to the ground when the Sky Panther came within distance of the target.

  The pilot approached the group from behind and opened fire with the forward pulse cannons mounted beneath the nose section.

  Pulsed plasma bolts stitched a line in the ground up to the van Tomas had arrived in, which was the closest target.

  The sides of the vehicle were blown apart as the high-energy blasts tore into it. What remained erupted in a huge fireball as the fuel cell was struck.

  The blast sent flaming debris high into the air to rain down on the cowering hostiles.

  12.28 s.e.t.

  Visjic heard the scream of the engines of the Sky Panther as it approached them.

  He spun around to see where the noise was coming from and was surprised by the sight of the attack craft.

  “What the...!” he growled as he saw the front pulse cannons open fire.

  Luckily for him and Tomas they were several feet from the van as it exploded.

  The two of them, as well as several of the others, were blown off their feet by the blast wave. One of the teams manning the pulse cannon on a tripod was decimated by the blast. Body parts were sent spinning in every direction as the cannon was torn apart.

  Visjic shielded his head as flaming debris rained from the sky as the vehicle was blown apart.

  When it stopped, he glanced at the wreckage and sprang to his feet. Anger fuelled his actions now.

  He signalled for the attack craft to be taken out.

  His team from the truck went into action.

  As the Sky Panther zoomed past and turned the other two teams on the pulse cannons targeted the craft.

  12.29 s.e.t.

  Kurt said, “Take her around for another pass. Take out that truck then drop us, but be careful of those cannons.”

  The pilot did as ordered and they all held on tight as the Sky Panther streaked past the carnage below.

  The pilot threw the craft into a tight turn once they were past the compound. As he held his position, he targeted the two gun emplacements.

  “Take out that truck,” Kurt said changing his mind.

  The pilot said, “Already on it.”

  He fired a Hellfire missile from the pods strung beneath the attack craft.

  The missile streaked towards the huge truck and exploded on impact, giving the hostiles no chance to take cover.

  The explosion lifted what was left of the eighteen-wheeler off the ground as the force of the blast tore it apart.

  The two gun emplacements were almost disintegrated by the blast as the shockwave pulped their bodies, then the force and shrapnel from the blast shredded what was left.

  The pilot lifted his craft up above the compound to evade the destruction he had caused as even they felt the severity of the blast.

  “Right take us down; it’s time to clean this mess up,” Kurt told him with a satisfied smile.

  12.30 s.e.t.

  Visjic smiled when he saw the gun emplacements target the Sky Panther. He knew they would destroy the meddlesome craft.

  His surprise was total as he watched the jet copter release the missile.

  They had no time to react.

  The explosion destroyed the truck and the gun emplacements on the ground before it and threw the rest of them flat on the floor from the sheer force of the blast.

  If it had not been for the pile of rubble, he and Tomas, along with two others from that team that had passed by earlier, would also be dead. The masonry from the earlier attack on the Capitol Building ironically had saved their lives.

  He glanced at the others as he pushed himself off the ground. His senses were battered from the noise of the two explosions so close together. His ears rang and he doubted he would ever hear again.

  He saw Tomas look in his direction, his eyes giving away his fear.

  Knowing he would not be able to be heard he motioned for the device they had taken with them from the van to be delivered where he had intended.

  At first Tomas shook his head, not understanding him or not wanting to comply, it mattered little to him. He gestured again, this time aiming a pistol at him.

  He saw Tomas marshal those with him and they dragged themselves up to their feet and picked up the bulky device.

  “Go!” screamed Visjic and as they followed his order he scanned the sky through the smoke from the blast for the Sky Panther. He knew they were not done with him. He knew they would send men to finish off what they had started; it was what he would do.

  He could not wait though; he had to finish this. He had to set the device and then escape back home or all this would be for naught.

  He turned and followed Tomas up the hill.

  30

  12.35 s.e.t.

  The Sky Panther returned to the compound once the blast had dissipated and it was safe to do so.

  Kurt nodded to the rest of the Marines inside the craft to get ready.

  “We’ll drop first then the others can follow,” he told Zara who, by her eager expression, was just itching to get her hands on Visjic.

  As soon as the jet copter was low enough and started to hover, Kurt and Zara had jumped through the open hatch and were flying to the ground attached by the zip lines. The two of them hit the ground before the other Marines were even in the doorway. They quickly detached themselves from the lines and grabbed their Remm M25 pulse rifle from behind their bac
k to aim at the departing figures going up the hill towards the Capitol Building.

  Holding the weapon up at his shoulder he watched the departing group then, switching his grip to one hand Kurt waved for the Marines to hurry up and follow them with the other.

  He heard them rappel down to the ground above the sound of the Sky Panther’s roaring engine noise whilst he and Zara covered the ground area. Their job was to ensure the area was free from any hostiles that might have survived the explosions.

  Once they were all together, Kurt gave the signal for them to advance after Visjic.

  12.40 s.e.t.

  Visjic urged the other three up the hill to the ruins of the building.

  Bodies littered the ground where his men had shot and killed all the Marines who had been protecting this ancient monument.

  Visjic cared less than he would stepping on an ant as he stepped on body parts.

  He glanced down the slope and saw the man and woman rappel down to the ground.

  “Get that thing set up now!” he shouted to Tomas.

  “This thing will destroy this whole area, how do you plan on getting us out in time?” asked Tomas as he stood over the smaller man glaring at him.

  Visjic glanced up and with a sneer said, “I have it all under control, just do your job.”

  Tomas saw the downturned mouth and recognised disdain when he saw it.

  “Okay, I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt but if you’re lying to me, you will pay,” Tomas told him then turned back to supervise the setting up of the device.

  The three of them opened the crate they had carried up the hill, took out a huge cylindrical device, and placed it carefully on the floor. On the top was a small panel with a set of controls. One of the controls was a timer.

  “How long do you want this set for? We need time to get clear don’t forget,” he shouted over his shoulder to Visjic.

  “No more than ten minutes,” Visjic replied coldly.

  “What, are you insane man? We’ll never get clear in time!” Tomas protested loudly.

  Visjic rounded on him, his pistol aimed straight at his head. “You’re right, at least you won’t,” he said then shot him in the face. Tomas’ head exploded covering those behind him in blood and gore.