Armageddon, page 3
part #9 of Col Sec Series
He sprinted off through them hoping to lose himself in the throng.
9
Hellcat was the first to reach the gap and drop through after Vosu.
She landed deftly into a roll allowing her legs to absorb the impact. She was up into a crouch, her Sig P999 held out in front of her tracking for any target.
As she got to her feet Guardian dropped down followed by Cowboy then Hacker. The team together Hellcat said, “That way,” indicating the direction Vosu had taken.
As Guardian set off after him he contacted the Hyperion. “Do you still have Vosu on sensors?” he asked, his words punctuated by his rapid breathing.
“We have him forty yards in front of you, you should be able to see him,” replied Parks from the bridge. He was watching the action on the large view screen; all other signals had been deleted leaving only the four-team members and their target.
“If you could see how many people are down here with us you’d know how impossible that is,” Guardian spat back.
He kept running, dodging past people who were oblivious to their needs or the danger Vosu presented to them. He had to be careful not to trip over them as he leapt over baskets on the floor and various other items the stallholders festooned around.
“Inform me the second he deviates from this path,” Guardian ordered.
“Copy that,” Parks agreed.
VOSU WAS NOW FEELING like a rat in a maze. No matter where he ran he had those four chasing after him and whoever he had taken the mission from. Their threat was still lingering in his mind bringing fear for the first time in his life.
He powered through the streets looking left and right for a way out of his dilemma.
He had to get away.
Above his head, high in the sky he saw a starburst as the mini nuke exploded, followed seconds later by the sound.
That would signal to the mysterious entity known as The One that he’d failed.
His fate was sealed.
As he ran he saw something that just might help. He had to get away from here as fast as possible in case The One had people watching him. He believed that if they had planned to recall his money somehow after the mission then the logical step would be to have someone in place to terminate him right after the mission. That was someone else he had to look out for.
This was turning out to be one of his worst ever decisions.
Turning into the stall on his right he pushed the owner to one side as he barged his way through to the back where what he’d seen was parked.
GUARDIAN LOOKED UP as the mini nuke exploded lighting up an already bright mid-morning sky.
“Holy crap!” he muttered as he hoped the shuttle got clear in time.
“Vosu just commandeered a transport, a truck of some sort,” Parks said. “He’s heading out of the market.”
“Fuck, we’re losing him,” Cowboy snarled as the four of them heard the news and knew it was a bust.
Guardian said, “Keep a track on him Cap and whatever you do don’t lose him. We’re heading back for the bikes.”
“He’s there,” Hellcat said as she spotted the truck driving down behind a row of stalls to their right. It was heading back towards them on a parallel course.
Before any of the others could react she had sprinted off after the truck.
10
Hellcat heard the report from Parks and looked around her in dismay at losing their target.
Her peripheral vision caught sight of something her brain latched onto and she turned.
At first she was not sure what she was looking at, then she realised what it was. She had caught sight of a truck driving down the path parallel to the one they were all on and in the driving seat was their target, Vosu.
Her instinct kicked in and she bolted after it.
At first she was running parallel to the truck’s course keeping an eye on its progress as it slowly picked up speed. She knew if she didn’t do something in the next few seconds it would outpace her and it would be gone.
Then she saw her one chance.
Up ahead was a gap between the stalls and in that gap was a set of boxes. They looked sturdy enough, and for what she intended they would have to be.
Her head down, she gave one final push for the boxes.
Springing up on them she launched herself in the air aiming for the truck.
As she sailed through the air she saw the truck moving away from her and as she began the downward part of her arc she thought she’d mistimed her leap and would miss completely.
Falling, she saw the ground rushing up towards her and braced for the impact. At the last moment her right hand caught the back of the truck’s side.
Holding on for her life, her feet hit the ground almost pulling her free as she was dragged along when the truck sped up. Pain exploded against her side from the collision with the side of the truck’s rear section. Her arm felt like it was being torn from its socket as her feet dragged along the ground behind the truck.
Grimacing through the pain she slowly began to pull herself up to where she could throw her left arm up to grip the truck. Now both feet were dragging behind side by side, her toes leaving trails in the loose dirt. Inch by agonising inch she began to pull herself up against the combined drag of the truck moving forward and her toes dragging in the dirt.
She managed to pull herself up to where she could swing up a leg to gain purchase on the truck’s bumper. Now she could use the power in her legs to push herself up to get a better hold.
Dragging herself up and over the tailgate of the truck she collapsed on the floor for a second while she regained her breath.
Once she had her breath back she rolled over from her back onto her knees and drew her Sig.
The second she raised her gun in a two-handed grip she saw through the rear window of the truck’s cab; Vosu glanced up into the rear view mirror right at her.
Knowing he wouldn’t stop on his own validity she fired into the cab at him.
The pulsed plasma bolt smashed through the small window exiting through the front windscreen shattering the Plexiglas into a million shards.
She saw him bring up his arm to guard his face against the onslaught as the wind blew the granules of shattered glass into his face.
Holding on she was thrown around in the back of the truck as he swerved across the narrow road trying to dislodge her.
With the Sig in one hand she fired repeatedly into the cab. She knew her aim would be off slightly but she hoped for a wound that would stop or at least slow him down.
Pulsed plasma bolts tore into the cab passing close by the driver. She watched as he moved instinctively trying not to get hit; then she heard a scream of pain.
Blood splashed the dash just within her eye line as she saw her last shot strike Vosu’s shoulder in a through and through.
The end of the road was in sight.
The truck continued on actually speeding up until it reached the edge of the market and burst through.
Hellcat saw Vosu spin the steering wheel over hard. The truck went into a tight turn, veering to the left then tipping over tossing Hellcat from the back and sending her flying through the air.
Pain flared through her shoulder as she landed hard managing to control the drop by turning it into a roll.
She finished rolling and came up on one knee with her Sig still in her hand. She covered the truck and saw a figure running from the far side of the overturned vehicle.
“Shit!” she stormed and held the Sig in both hands aiming at the retreating figure. She fired twice and saw the bolts strike his back.
She watched as Vosu was sent tumbling off his legs to sprawl in the dirt then lie still.
“Fuck!” she shouted. She had aimed for a leg shot to bring him down, not kill him.
Painfully getting to her feet she started to run towards him keeping her Sig trained on him in case he was playing dead.
“Guardian, target is down, I say again, target is down,” she said connecting to the comm. link through her NI.
“Is he alive?” she heard Guardian ask in her ear. Hesitating for a second she replied, “Checking on it in a sec, will advise.”
She was at his side in a few strides keeping her gun trained on the prone form. Carefully she reached down placing the muzzle of the Sig against Vosu’s temple hard enough that if he was awake and playing possum he’d know she meant business. With her other hand she reached down and felt for a pulse on his carotid artery.
“He’s dead boss,” she told Guardian.
Standing up she fumed inwardly for she knew she’d just killed their only lead to who was behind this plot.
Looking up she saw the others come around the edge of the narrow road. When they saw her they slowed, they too knew she’d screwed up.
She hung her head looking at the ground at her feet waiting for what she knew was coming.
11
“What the fuck were you thinking?” Guardian stormed as he walked up to Hellcat.
As she looked up to reply he cut her off.
“Don’t even bother with the ‘I was trying to stop him’ schtick ’cause it won’t work. Did it ever occur to you that if you’d let him go we could’ve tracked him? He could’ve led us to whoever was behind this attack but now what do we have, and that’s a hypothetical too because I’ll tell you exactly what we have, jack shit is what we have,” he shouted down at her. He was furious with her, not just because her impulsive action may have cost them dearly on this mission, but she had put herself at risk without waiting for the team to back her up. Teamwork was all about working together to get the job done. The saying that ‘there is no “I” in team’ was never truer than in situations like this.
He stared into the eyes of the woman before him and to her credit she held his gaze with a steady, non-flinching stare of her own that told him she knew she had fucked up royally and was ready for whatever came her way because of it. Just by looking deep into those eyes he knew she was sorry for her actions and recognised she was accountable, which he admired. Too many times he had seen soldiers make a stupid decision on the battlefield but not take responsibility for it. Hellcat was different and that was why she had been his choice to join their team.
“I’m sorry, sir, I have no excuse, I let my emotions rule my head. After seeing what Vosu was willing to do, kill millions of people like that, something snapped and I just couldn’t allow the bastard to get away, excuse the profanity, sir,” Hellcat said standing to attention in front of the huge marine.
Guardian stepped back from staring her down and visibly relaxed a little.
“At ease soldier,” he said his voice returning to its normal timbre. “Jo, we can’t let our feelings get away with us, not out here, not like this. You put yourself at risk by following that truck and by doing that also the team. We function better as a unit, not as individuals which I shouldn’t have to explain to you,” he said.
“Copy that, sir,” she replied as her cheeks darkened from embarrassment.
“It was pretty awesome how she chased down that truck though Guardian, you have to admit that,” Cowboy said coming to stand closer once the tirade had passed.
“Awesome? Did you see the way she clung on to the back of the truck, that was crazy dude,” Hacker added as he stood by his friend.
Guardian glanced over his shoulder, his brow still creased from his anger and said, “It was pretty awesome wasn’t it,” and then a smile creased his lips, briefly.
Hellcat looked at all of them not knowing what was going on here, confusion was written all over her face as she glanced from one to the other then back at Guardian. Not daring to speak she remained standing still, her mouth slightly open.
“Come on let’s get back to the Hyperion before the local Constabulary starts crawling up our asses asking questions we don’t really want to have to answer,” Guardian said as he turned away.
Behind him he knew the others would rally around Hellcat. He knew they’d prod her for her stupidity but that was just the banter that came with the job. He also knew she would weather this storm and be a better soldier because of it.
“Guardian to shuttle, return to this location for immediate evac,” he said.
NEW SAN FRANCISCO, Cordoba
In a darkened room a man sat reading from a small device.
Books were a rarity in the twenty-fifth century so literature had been confined to either downloads accessed from the library straight to your NI or, as in this case, a ‘reader’.
‘Readers’ were an ancient device from a bygone age, an age where technology was making huge strides forward.
The man in the chair took comfort from the ancient artefacts surrounding him.
As his eyes scanned the device in his hands caressing the words displayed there, a sliver of light intruded into the room as the door opened.
Footsteps cushioned by the soft carpet heralded the arrival of his aide. He slowly walked to his side and remained there until his master acknowledged his presence.
Tearing his eyes from his ‘reader’ he looked up at the man standing at his shoulder, “Yes?”
“Sir, reports have arrived from Potera,” the aide said, his voice soft as he dared not intrude further than absolutely necessary.
“Go ahead,” the man allowed wanting to know more details.
“It seemed the asset failed, sir. A team of agents got to him before he had time to act. Vosu was killed before he could reveal who hired him,” the aide said calmly.
The man returned his eyes to the ‘reader’ in his lap dismissing his aide with a sigh.
Silently the aide retreated leaving the man to ruminate over the news.
The man known as ‘The One’ stood up and placed the small device on the coffee table at his side before walking over to the large window that stretched from the ceiling to the floor. The view beyond was of his estate. Wealth was his by virtue of birth and it was never more obvious than in the manner of how he lived. His was a life of luxury and entitlement filled with extremes. He also had distaste for modern living although he luxuriated in its comforts. Having a love of the ‘old times’, he wished some of them could return, but he knew that was not possible. The only way was forward.
The asset his aide had mentioned had been tasked to stop Vosu on Potera. It had been brought to his attention that someone close to their inner circle had an agenda of their own putting their entire plan in jeopardy. This person had set in motion an audacious plan of their own using the mercenary Vosu. Now he would have to find out another way who had instigated this. It was a setback to his plans for sure but not one that couldn’t be dealt with. His plan would go ahead, maybe not as soon as he’d wanted but soon enough.
They had lived in the shadows for centuries, working behind the scenes and yet able to wield great power by guiding the hands in control. The control those in power had was but an illusion. The decisions they made had been guided by minds wiser by far with much broader scope of understanding of the big picture. Recently though the inner circle had decided it was time for them to take power for themselves. Certain decisions and events had forced their hands, now it was time for them to act. When that happened the galaxy would be brought to its knees.
He just had to be patient for a little longer.
12
The Hyperion returned to Earth where it took up a parking orbit.
Guardian and the rest of Special Missions Team Delta returned to Col Sec HQ on board the shuttle, a little deflated due to their apparent failure.
As they strode down the corridor towards Colonel Boerkamp’s office Guardian could feel the tension coming off of Hellcat.
Over his shoulder he said, “Don’t worry Hellcat, as team leader, responsibility for the mission lies on my shoulders alone,” hoping to ease her tension.
Before anymore banter ensued they entered the office and marched up to stand to attention in front of the desk.
Boerkamp looked up and smiled, “I thought we talked about this before you left, at ease before you strain something,” he said getting to his feet.
The four of them relaxed into ‘at ease’ and waited for the Colonel to continue. He walked around to the front of his desk and leant against it.
“I’ve read your report Storm, a mini nuke, eh?” he said crossing his arms.
“Yes, sir, we managed to prevent it detonating in the city which seemed to be his intention,” Guardian replied.
“That seems a bit extreme don’t you think? Vosu was obviously working for someone; he’s not the type to hatch a plan this devastating on his own.”
“That was our summation, sir,” Guardian agreed.
“It’s a pity you didn’t have the chance to question him, though I doubt it would’ve revealed anything useful had that been possible. A plan like this would’ve been heavily compartmentalised and I doubt he knew anything other than his target and where to pick up the weapon,” Boerkamp said.
Guardian relaxed a little more hearing that.
“You were one step away from disaster out there, yet you pulled it off.”
“From disaster, more like Armageddon, sir. Can you imagine the chaos it would’ve caused had that been an attack on another planet, more densely populated, or at a conference with delegates from several planets?” Hellcat offered.
All eyes locked on her as they listened, then the room went quiet as the importance of what she said sank in.
Guardian knew then why she had been so intent on stopping Vosu. This was the scenario she had seen playing out and it had haunted her like a living spectre.
After a pause Boerkamp said, “Quite and it is something that certainly needs further investigation, but not now. You did good work out there; you saved millions of lives so you should be proud.”
“Does that mean we get a raise, sir?” Cowboy asked before Guardian could stop him.
Boerkamp looked at him. Guardian closed his eyes fearing what might come. Cowboy would bitch and moan about every mission they were given but it was just his way of handling the enormous pressure they were under. Guardian was used to it but Boerkamp, being their new boss, might not be so understanding.
