The Legacy of the Lioness

by Robert D. Armstrong

  I looked at Luther. He nodded. “Permission granted,” I said. Xena exited the Mauler and peered around the corner of the structure. She waited several seconds before darting out of sight.

  “I hope she doesn’t stir the hornet’s nest too early,” Neona said.

  “She won’t,” I said, controlling my breathing as I counted the seconds. “Xena, can you hear me?” I asked through my helmet’s microphone.

  “Yes, Captain, I’m navigating toward the vehicle by slipping between its detection system. Its laser cones are visible to me... I’ve reached the vehicle,” she said. A small window appeared inside my helmet so that I could see Xena in action. She was underneath the tank tracks. I could hear the vehicle’s automated system panning back and forth as she removed a large panel on the undercarriage.

  Xena put her head inside the dark inlet. I couldn’t see anything. She reached inside with her hands. Sparks flew out, giving me a quick view inside to a box full of circuitry as her hands moved like lightning. The sound of the guns rotating above stopped. “Motion sensors disabled,” she said.

  “Good, is the vehicle operational? Do the guns fire?” I asked. Xena stood up and looked over the vehicle. “It appears to be in working order, Captain. Should I do a test fire to be sure?” she asked.

  “No Xena! Don’t test the cannons here!” I shouted.

  “Oh, sorry, Captain, poor attempt at humor. If the weapons malfunction, I can likely troubleshoot it with the right tools later,” she said.

  I sighed loudly. “Can you hijack the vehicle remotely without them detecting an intrusion?” I asked. Luther’s head whipped toward me. I grinned. “It’s worth a shot, and we can still bait the raiders back to General Haik,” I said.

  “Can she do it?” he asked.

  “Attempting remote access... working...” she replied.

  “Get back to the Mauler and keep it up,” I ordered.

  “On the way,” she said. Xena hurried back inside.

  Luther pointed at the dock. “Victoria, pull in front of that large cargo truck full of laser rifles,” he ordered. I did so, looking around as I moved forward. Now we were exposed.

  Other than the large cargo truck, there were two smaller vehicles backed up at the dock on each side of it. I noticed some of them were equipped with mounted guns. “What are we doing?” I hurried.

  “Neona, Leo, destroy the mounted weapons on those vehicles and return immediately,” Luther ordered.

  Even though I wasn’t sure Kodiak gave a damn about these solar panels, this was what we agreed on. It was important that we didn’t destroy the vehicles before bringing them back, but we had to survive the return voyage.

  Leo and Neona flung open their doors and rushed to their objective. It almost seemed like they were in competition with one another as they sprinted side by side before branching off.

  I blinked rapidly, attempting to clear the sweat from my eyes as it made it difficult to see. I removed my helmet and wiped it. Luther opened his door.

  “Hey. What’s wrong?” I said.

  “Taking advantage of the opportunity,” he said, standing on the Mauler’s tracks. Just in front of him was the large cargo truck. He ignited his sword, swiping completely through the hood, slicing it in half. “What the hell,” I muttered.

  Sparks flew up into the air as the left side of the truck crashed onto the snow, creating a loud clank. I could see the large black battery that powered the vehicle, now cut in half. The smell of burnt metal and plastic swept into our cabin with the wind. Then the transport burst into flames.

  “I thought we were bringing all these vehicles to the nomads?” I asked Luther.

  “Not this one. It’s too large and cumbersome to follow us anyway, but we’re already here, and I’m making sure to slow down their supply chain,” he replied.

  He took Neona’s advice, but he did it his own way.

  Neona and Leo cut down the mounted weapons off each truck with their swords. As they collapsed, the gun on Neona’s truck crashed forward, breaking the pickup’s rear glass. “Shit,” she mouthed.

  They rushed back, clambering back into the Mauler.

  “Xena?” I asked.

  “No lifeforms detected, Captain,” she replied.

  “Go, here,” Luther pointed ahead to a large cargo bin about eighty meters from the dock. “Park behind it but position us so that we can see the vehicles,” Luther ordered. I pushed forward and ran over a pallet and circled around the long, steel cargo bin, nearly slamming into a forklift that I couldn’t see on the opposite side. I braked hard as the front of the Mauler tapped the forklift.

  I backed up and took the turn again, aiming the Mauler back toward the factory. From here, we were positioned so that we could see them come out of the structure, and we were virtually concealed by the cargo bin.

  “Two lifeforms approaching from inside the structure. They must have been underground. Four... seven... twelve... now fifteen lifeforms, Captain,” Xena said.

  “They know someone’s here now,” I said.

  “And that’s exactly what I want,” Luther said.

  “Fuck,” Neona muttered.

  I put back on my helmet and zoomed in as a figure came into view. “Contact, on the dock,” I said. I could see a tall, bald man wearing a long white and stone camouflage military coat. He was extremely pale, nearly as white as the snow. There was a small black filtration device covering his nose and mouth.

  His coat had faded military insignias on the shoulders that looked like golden eagles. I noticed one of his eyes was red like Kodiak’s. Around the red eye was a patch of purple varicose veins the size of a baseball. He stopped on a dime as he looked back and forth at the trucks then scanned his surroundings. He threw up his hands in frustration as the cargo truck was now engulfed in flames.

  He held a device next to his mouth. I could faintly hear him speaking. “Captain, he’s ordering an immediate patrol of the factory,” Xena said. Fourteen more men in similar military outfits emerged one by one on the dock.

  Their leader pointed down at the ground and barked orders as four armed soldiers hurried to an old truck parked away from the dock.

  “They’re going to be looking for us. Everyone, buckle up,” I said. Two of the raiders jumped in the bed as the driver and passenger entered the single cab truck. “Victoria... when I tell you, I want you to ram that patrol truck,” he said.

  I looked at Luther. “Destroy it?” I asked.

  “No. Crash into them without disabling the vehicle. Can you do it?” he asked me.

  “I can, a sideswipe will do,” I assured.

  “Uh, what?” Neona asked confused. The raider patrol took off, passing in front of their comrades.

  Luther held his hand up. “Wait... Wait... Now!” Luther shouted, dropping his hand, and pointing at the patrol.

  Without hesitation, I pushed in the throttle about seventy percent. “Oh God,” Neona said. Leo put his hands on the dash as the electric engine silently delivered instant torque, pinning our heads back and launching us forward. I heard one of the raiders on the dock began screaming at the driver of the truck as we aimed toward them.

  It was too late. They couldn’t hear us coming, and the Mauler was too fast. The driver had enough time to turn his head toward us. He put his hands over his face.

  I misjudged my approach. It was too fast.

  I held on to the steering wheel tight and smashed into the side of the truck. The driver’s skull shattered the side window as we jolted forward on collision. “Arr-gah!” I called out.

  On impact, the tires on the left side of the truck lifted a meter off the ground. The two occupants in the bed of the truck were ejected like they were shot out of circus cannons, soaring over their comrades, and slamming into the dock wall four meters high. Their bodies smashed into the wall as they clacked against the concrete platform. “Get the hell outta here!” Neona yelled.

  “I am!” I shouted back as I ripped the gears in reverse then threw it in f
irst gear, launching us forward.

  “Keep your heads down!” Luther roared.

  Half of the raiders were in complete confusion, while others aimed weapons at us as we sped away. I noticed the man with the red eye aiming a large pistol at us as we fled. It fired, kicking back with tremendous recoil as a booming gunshot erupted. A golf ball sized hole was punched through the top of Neona’s steel door then the bullet burrowed into the back rest of my seat.

  Luther ran his hand behind me frantically.

  “Am I hit?” I asked.

  “No. You’d know it. That was a fifty caliber,” he replied.

  In my rearview I could see the raiders jumping off the docks and scrambling to their vehicles. “Captain, that maneuver caused one fatality and two serious injuries,” Xena informed.

  “It also got their attention! And I mean all of them!” Neona said with her eyes glued to the back-firing port.

  I hit the throttle, gaining as much distance as possible without leaving them behind. I didn’t want the trap to seem too obvious. I slowed just before a small hill. “What are you doing?” Leo asked.

  “Waiting,” I replied.

  The convoy rounded the corner of the factory in a hurry. I could see the trucks’ frames bobbing up and down on their shocks as they pursued us out of the parking lot and onto the ground. They plowed through a ditch on the outskirts of the factory at seventy kilometers per hour. I noticed the lead truck almost lose control.

  “We really pissed them off,” Leo said.

  Bringing up the rear, I could see the anti-aircraft gun. It appeared to have difficulty keeping up as it lagged behind the others.

  Gunfire erupted behind us as bullets whizzed by the cabin. “That’s small arms fire, Captain,” Xena said.

  “I know.”

  I took off, backtracking the route we came. The lead convoy truck was about one hundred and thirty meters behind me and gaining ground fast. I pushed up the hill past the metal tower, staying far to the left of the concealed nomad scout.

  The radio beeped. “General, the raider convoy is in pursuit of the Legion’s vehicle! Six vehicles total!” the scout said excitedly.

  “We’re waiting,” General Haik replied.

  I allowed the convoy to see glimpses of the Mauler before speeding around obstacles, using thickets of trees and elevation changes to my advantage. My goal was to prevent them from having the opportunity to aim at us, but still give them something to chase.

  Despite the obvious risk of this situation, it was an admittedly thrilling and empowering experience as I pushed the Mauler to its limits. I was forced to slow down often to avoid hitting objects, but on straight lines, I floored the accelerator, shifting gears as I felt the incredible, visceral power of the Mauler. Black smoke poured out of the exhaust as the engine roared and echoed off the landscape.

  “Captain, your average speed has increased to eighty-nine kilometers per hour, we will reach General Haik’s ambush point rapidly in comparison to our initial trip to the factory,” Xena informed.

  “That’s the point!” I shouted as I navigated the winding path. I was forced to take turns faster than I wanted, and the Mauler wasn’t the best at managing sharp bends.

  All at once, I veered around a large boulder on the path, nearly hitting it. As I dodged the obstacle, I ran over a downed tree. The impact nearly stopped us as the Mauler climbed the trunk. Wood snapped and popped beneath us as I floored it. The tank track teeth ripped through the rotten, wet log like a ten-ton chainsaw, flinging bark high into the air as we broke free.

  “They’re gaining on us. Fast,” Neona said, peeking through the rear firing port.

  “Hostiles within sixty meters Captain,” Xena said. Suddenly, gunshots erupted as flashes of light strobed passed us.

  “Taking laser and ballistic fire.” Xena said. She stood up and flared out her body as wide as possible behind me. Bullets peppered the Mauler’s armor and sparks flew up in the cabin as Xena’s body jolted from machine gun fire. Her glowing blue eyes flickered as she held on to the seat in front of her, shielding me from the projectiles.

  “Xena?” I yelled.

  “Just a scratch, Captain,” she said.

  “The raiders are too close! Hold on!” I swerved off the path through a dense patch of pine trees. Luther pushed open his door and ignited his sword, holding on to the door with his off hand. “Luther!” I shouted.

  “Trust me,” he said.

  He began slicing trees in half. “Rrr-agh!” he shouted as the scorching blade melted through the pines. In my rearview, I could see them slowly timbering over as the convoy was forced to evade them, spinning one of them out completely. He climbed back inside as I jumped a small hill, rocketing out of the forest onto a tundra full of rolling drifts of snow.

  “We’re moving off course, we need to move southeast,” Leo reminded.

  “I understand. I need to put some distance between us first,” I replied. I had to get off the road. I wanted to take these raiders where I had the advantage. The wind whipped directly at us, skimming powdered snow and ice off the rolling drifts ahead and pelting the front glass. It sounded like small bits of gravel.

  There was a moment when I caught Luther looking at me. I got the feeling he wanted to say something, but he chose not to. It was probably the better decision to trust my gut at this point, and he knew it.

  In my rearview, I could see the convoy vehicles as they followed us into the tundra. They began jumping the drifts. One truck hit a drift too fast as the front end slammed hard into the snow. The front grille snapped off as the vehicle skirted along on two wheels before regaining control. “That’s it! You got one,” Neona laughed with a touch of nervousness.

  After a few jumps, the trucks began to slow down. “They’re backing off!” Leo shouted.

  “I knew it. Those trucks are fast, but they can’t take these drifts like the Mauler,” I replied as we smacked into another one, sending chunks of ice and snow in all directions.

  I noticed the convoy coming together in a single file line. They were changing their tactics. Now they were following my exact path in a single line. I was destroying and matting down the drifts, allowing them to move faster.

  I steered back toward the southeast to get back on track. “At this trajectory and speed, we will arrive at the General’s ambush point in three minutes and fourteen seconds, Captain,” Xena said. Luther pointed in the distance at the twin mountains. “See it?” he asked.

  “Yeah,” I replied. I noticed my hands were beginning to cramp from the intensity of the situation and gripping the steering wheel. Luther noticed me straighten out my fingers. “Is there anything I can do?” he offered, lowering his voice.

  “No. I got it, we’re almost there,” I replied without hesitation. He nodded as I thought about what was ahead.

  “Luther... we’re doing this, right? We’re helping Kodiak assassinate General Haik?” I asked. I’m not sure why I wanted him to reconfirm at that moment. Perhaps because it was difficult to believe that we were boxed into this situation.

  He looked at me. “Yes. Get us up on the side of the mountain as close as you can to Haik, Kodiak’s men will take care of the rest,” he said confidently and looked away. He couldn’t be as sure of himself as he let on. How could he be? There was no way to forecast what would happen afterwards. The reality was, we needed that anti-aircraft tank to stop the Moderator, and Luther was forced to gamble and pick a side. While Kodiak had the element of surprise, I estimated that General Haik had more men loyal to him. In my mind, this could go either way.

  “They stopped firing,” Leo said, glued to the rear firing port window.

  “My guess is they want to be as close as possible before shooting again,” Neona said.

  We barreled up a slight incline three hundred meters before the ambush valley. I zoomed in with my helmet’s visor. I could faintly see Haik’s men. On the mountain on my right, I observed the concealed soldiers in white camouflage, hunkered down in the sn
ow, waiting. Their fifty-caliber machine gun was covered with a white cloth that flapped in the wind.

  The mountain on the left was slightly taller. I scanned for Kodiak’s snipers at the highest point. All I could see was faint outlines of their sniper rifles. I assumed their bodies were buried in the snow. I took in a deep breath.

  I glanced up at the rearview, the lead convoy truck was fifty meters behind us. Further back, I could make out the anti-aircraft tank far in the distance.

  The twin mountains filled my view ahead as the wind funneled between them. Snow flurries began to fall again as they whipped around erratically.

  I sized up the right side of the mountain where Haik and his men were. It wasn’t an incredibly steep bank at only thirty degrees, but it appeared uneven with several indentations that could cause us to slide off.

  I gripped the steering wheel as we entered the valley. It was like entering a wind tunnel as the gusts of snow blasted the front windshield. I let off the throttle momentarily, allowing the raiders to get closer.

  I sped up as they approached within forty meters.

  “Were taking fire,” Xena said calmly. I swerved side to side.

  As the mountain route approached, I veered left, then cut back right hard up the hill. The Mauler began to vibrate as we took the rocky ramp at a slant. “Captain, there are two vehicles following us, the others went through the valley,” she said. I knew this might happen.

  “They split up!” Leo shouted.

  “Keep going!” Luther ordered as he braced his hands on the dash. Haik’s nomads were only thirty meters in front of me as I roared up the incline. We passed directly beside the nomads. As the raiders followed behind us, dozens of nomads sprung up from the snow and the machine gun cloth was ripped away, revealing the ambush.

  “Oh, my god,” Neona said.

  A furious booming sound went off as I saw one of the raider trucks behind us spin out. The vehicle behind it rear-ended it right in front of the nomads as they filled both vehicles’ cabins full of lead. The machine gun turned its attention below, ripping apart the convoy vehicles down in the valley.