THE PRIZE: BOOK TWO - RETRIBUTION, page 17
Penn scrubbed himself clean, ignoring the usual insults about his boyish appearance, his odd colored hair, and eyes, as well as what was in store for him sexually. From their crude comments, his introduction to that aspect of prison life would come during the full 'body cavity' search. No surprise there. He'd heard it all before. The guards kept their distance at first, but he knew by their body language what was coming as they spread out in a circle around him, at an equal distance. If they’d stayed together, they might have had a chance. Penn squeezed down on his stomach muscles in anticipation, feeling the exhilarating rush of adrenaline as his body went into overdrive. As he soaped his head and face, the four guards signaled to each other and moved quickly towards him, confident in their size, body armor, shock sticks, and arrogance. Penn used his other senses instead of his eyes, feeling their intentions, hearing four sets of heavy boots hitting duracrete as they moved towards him the moment the water stopped. As the first guard moved in, Penn went into full combat mode, already in motion by the time the first guard reached him.
Much to the guards’ surprise, they found the prisoner didn't need to see to defend himself. The first guard used, as Penn knew he would, a point attack, using his shock stick like a bayonet, aiming for the center of his chest. A feeling of exhilaration poured through his body as he spun aside to the guard's right, grabbed the offered wrist with one hand, and stripping him of the shock stick with the other, crushing the guard's wrist in the process. With his senses in overdrive, and as if by precognition, Penn knew without looking, the exact position of each guard and what he was about to do. To Penn they seemed to be moving in slow motion, and that was to his advantage. The first guard screamed in pain as Penn continued his spin, pulling the luckless individual around to smash him into the second guard, knocking them both to the ground in a tangle of arms and legs. The third guard got the captured shock stick rammed into his throat as he rushed in, crushing his windpipe. He stumbled backward clawing at his throat as he collapsed in his death throws.
The fourth guard hesitated, stunned at the speed of what he'd just witnessed, but Penn didn't give him time to think or raise the alarm. He knocked the guards’ shock stick up into the air with his arm, moved into a crouch, and jammed the end of the captured stick into the guards’ crotch. The guard pushed up onto his toes as he tried to escape the hideous pain in his groin. With the guards’ hands occupied, Penn had no trouble catching and jamming the second stick into the luckless guards’ open mouth while moving the power control to full. The guard gagged as his throat constricted and convulsed. As the fourth guard collapsed to the floor, Penn calmly turned to face the second guard who'd managed to untangle himself and get to his feet. Desperate, the guard made the fatal mistake of charging in, hoping to overpower the smaller being by sheer force. Penn didn't bother using the sticks, simply dropping them and moving into a slight crouch as he easily deflected the swinging blow. Perfectly positioned, Penn slammed the heel of his right hand into the center of the guard's exposed chest in a classic death touch. The energy of the blow transferred itself through the ballistic armor and into the Esterians’ chest, stopping his heart.
The snarl on the guards’ face turned to one of shock and surprise, then to disbelief. As he sank to the floor, his expression was almost one of accusation, as if to say, 'How could you do this to me?’ as he realized he was about to die. Penn turned away and walked over to the first guard, who sat on the wet floor, holding his crushed wrist to his chest, and moaning to himself. Penn expertly broke his neck, an act more of practicality than mercy. From here on in, this established the R.O.E. Slowing down from combat mode, Penn washed the soap out of his eyes and looked around the room, seeing the guards strewn about like piles of dirty clothes. Penn slowed his breathing to normal, eyeing them dispassionately as he walked over and turned the water back on. He shook for a moment, standing under the hot water, as his anger slowly dissipated and calm returned. From now on, the 'rules of engagement' in the prison were simple. ‘You don't fuck with me... and I won't kill you.
Thankfully this time he hadn't let his anger get the better of him. There was too much at stake to let himself go berserker, as he'd done at the imperial guards’ barracks. He’d done as ordered, as much as he hated to, cursing the Empire, Director Markoff and fate in the same breath. In all, he was alone for five minutes before the steel door opened, and two guards stepped into the room, laughing and joking as they did. The first came to a standstill in shock, the second bumped into him. They both stood there blinking, unable to comprehend what they were seeing, looking between the four guards on the floor and the prisoner standing in the center of the room, humming softly as he dried himself off.
* * * * * *
“Yes, you could say I’ve run into them before. As for the Thrakee, and as you can see, there’s a lot of lizard in that gene pool.”
“Ugly suckers.”
“Yes, that’s what your last girlfriend said when she woke up in the morning and found you sleeping beside her.”
That brought a laugh, and relieved much of the tension in the room. It wasn’t every day you got briefed on a mission by the Supreme Commander, or the President of Earth. No one was sure what to call Penn and he adamantly refused to give himself a title. Not that he needed one. The first time anyone met him, they instinctively knew he was in charge. It was as if something emanated from him that everyone recognized.
“As I said, the Thrakee love to butcher their opponents to death by slicing off chunks and eating them raw while the victims watch.”
“Holy crap! That’s not a nice way to die.” Someone at the back murmured.
“There are no good ways to die, son.” A powerfully built, bald headed African American answered. Penn heard him.
“That’s the point, people. I tried to talk General Marks out of sending anyone with me, as this is personal, but he wouldn’t listen.”
“He’s right, Skipper. You can’t - shouldn’t be going at all. That’s what we’re for.”
“Normally, I might agree with you to a certain extent. I cannot fight all the battles that are to come, but now, every human life is precious. In the past, leaders have thrown away people's lives as if they meant nothing. Never again.” There was a grimness in the way Penn said those words and these men knew he meant them.
“So, what’s the plan, Chief?”
“You are lieutenant Weatherly, right?”
“Yes, Skipper.”
“The plan is for you to get me inside that building.”
“And then?”
“And then to wait and stop any reinforcements getting in, but I doubt there will be any. These people have remained secreted in their nice safe bunker all this time, and I doubt they want the rest of the population knowing about that.”
“But… that means you’ll have to face god knows how many troops inside.” The black man responded.
“You’re Master Gunnery Sergeant, Keton, right?”
“Yes sir. That I am.” A huge grin spreading across his face, proud that Penn would know his name.
“I don’t suspect they have that many troops down there with them. Logistics problems feeding that many troops.”
“No to mention aliens, Sir.”
“True, plus the added problem of inter species fighting crammed up in close quarters like that.” Penn could see the look of concern on their faces at the thought of letting their leader go inside alone. He had to find a way to calm their concerns.
“You have all been through the ‘trials’, right?”
“Yeah, first as individuals, then as a team.”
“So you know the secret that what you went through wasn’t real.”
“Well, yes sir, afterwards we did, but it sure felt real at the time.”
“Yeah, I died at least twice in there.” The man shivered.
“Do you know there are many levels to the trials?”
“We sort of figured that. I was a Captain before. Now I’ve worked my way up to Sergeant.”
“Are you going back to try and make Captain again?” The man looked at him a moment before nodding.
“I will after a while, sir.”
“Good man. Once I get inside and can recon the situation, I’ll call you in on an as needed basis, or if I run into something I can’t handle.” Before Penn could say anything, General Marks stood and walked up to the podium and stood beside Penn.
“Just so you know. Penn and Major Ellis made it all the way to the top or the end if you like. That’s why he’s the man in charge now. He won the prize.”
“A slight correction, General. Colonel Ellis and I both got to the prize.”
“Fuck!” That word summed it up for all of them.
Each knew how tough it was to pass the simplest of tests to reach their present rank, and live to tell the tale. The expression on their faces changed, and many wondered what Penn and Major Ellis must have faced to reach the top. No matter how deep you buried your fear, or flaws, the ‘trials’ would find it. No one could hide from himself or herself for long in there, and in the end you had to face what you feared the most. That begged the question of what Penn feared the most.
“So, let’s gear up and go see what we have to play with. Wheels up in thirty.”
* * * * * *
As silent as a night owl on the wing, the stealth shuttle touched down in a field three miles from the bunker and drifted sideways under the cover of some huge oak trees before settling to the ground. For the last fifty miles, they had flown ‘nap of the earth’ to avoid any possibility of the bunker defenses spotting them coming in. The radar absorbing coating and light-drinking skin rendered them invisible to all known sensors, but old habits die hard. The shuttle only stayed a few moments, just long enough for the eleven-man team to exit before it silently vanished back into the darkness. The plan was for it to land and shut down two miles away behind a hill, and await the call for extraction. On the ground behind the hill, there was little chance of anyone spotting it, unless someone bumped into it by accident. Like living shadows, the team drifted through the mixed forest and underbrush, relying solely on their heads-up display. Having shed his fake long coat, Penn used his HUD for the additional information, not because he needed it. He could see just as well in the dark as in daylight. The HUD did give him targeting information about the heat sources they came across. Deer, bears, rabbits and even a couple of wolves. They didn’t bother anything, and nothing bothered them. Half a mile out, they hunkered down just back of the hill crest and launched several bumblebee drones. A cammo poncho acted as a shelter as Penn, Lieutenant Weatherly, and Gunny Keton watched the video feed.
“Looks like it’s the Esterians’ turn for guard duty tonight.”
“So far I’ve counted ten of them patrolling the perimeter.”
“Makes sense. The Thrakee don’t like the cold. The problem is, knowing the Esterians, if one goes down it will signal the others that something is up and alert the guard room as well.”
Humm,” Weatherly murmured, “looks like we’ll have to do an assault to get you inside.” Penn gently pinched his lower lip between his thumb and forefinger, thinking and discarding one plan after the other.
“What you thinking, Boss?” Gunny Keton asked, seeing the look on Penn’s face.
“What if all the guards went down at once?”
“ ’Struth. That would really raise the alarm.”
“Maybe not, Gunny. Think about it. If one went down, yes, but if all ten went down at once, what would your first thought be?” Gunny Keton looked at his lieutenant for a moment.
“Humm… That the comm systems have gone down?”
Penn smiled. “Right, and he wouldn’t hit the alarm button before he, or someone went out to check.” Gunny Keton grinned, thinking of the shit that would come down on anyone’s head if it was a false alarm, especially from guys trying to get some rest.
“So, we have to locate the entry port.” Gunny Keton keyed his comm.
“Hot Pants. Fly the bumblebee around and find the entry port for the guards.” He whispered.
“Hot Pants?” Penn asked in surprise.
“Maybe you didn’t notice in the general confusion, but three of our team are female, sir.”
“Guess I’m more distracted than I realized. Three you say?”
“Yeah. Hot Pants, Jugs, and Honey Buns.”
“Oh, I just bet they love those nicknames.”
“Well, sir. They picked them, not us.” Weatherly chuckled.
“Just let someone outside the team call them that and see what happens.”
“A painful introduction to politically correct forms of address I take it.”
“Either them, or one of the team members, sir.” Just then, Hot Pants whispered she’d found the entry port and Penn saw the icon pop up in his HUD.
“Heads up,” Weatherly announced, “space yourselves out around the perimeter and pick your target. You only have one shot and one shot only. All ten guards have to go down at the same time, on my mark. Chopper and I will cover the entry port to cover ‘Golden Eyes’ entry and take out any additional bad guys that come out.”
“It’s all yours, Skipper.” Penn took one last look at the video feed of the entry port and slipped out from under the poncho.
“I’ll signal you with three clicks when I’m in position, Lt.”
Switching back to the video feed in their HUD’s from the bumblebees, Weatherly and Keton watched Penn snake his way over the top of the rise. They weren’t too surprised when he vanished from view, even from infrared.
“Well, there he goes.”
“Shit! Weatherly swore very softly. “How the hell are we supposed to keep up with him if we can’t track him.”
“If we can’t, neither can the bad guys. He’ll signal us when he’s ready.”
“I hope you’re right. I’d really, really hate to go back and tell the General that the Boss bought it.”
“Don’t even think that! Shit! If that happened we’d all be in deep shit.”
“In more ways than one, Gunny. Without him I think it would all fall apart.”
“Meaning no disrespect, sir. But wasn’t it a bit stupid of him to go in by himself?” Weatherly turn his head and looked at the Gunnery Sergeant.
“That’s right, you guys don’t know. The reason he’s going in there is to rescue Colonel Ellis - his wife.”
“When he said it was personal, I thought he meant something else. Now I double wish he’d let us go with him.”
“One thing you’d better understand about our Boss. He goes where he wants, does what he wants, whenever he wants, and the only damned person on this, and probably any other planet who can change his mind is the person he’s risking his life to rescue.”
Chapter Thirteen
Hideout
Out of reflex more than anything else, Penn automatically lowered his body temperature as he snaked his way over the rise, feeling out with his senses, both electronic and human. Undoubtedly, the place was littered with AP mines, but after all this time it was a guess as to how many remained active. He wasn’t sure if the sense was something the genetic engineers had given him, or something Michael had added, but either way he was thankful he had it and could ‘see’ the minefield stretched out around him. A mini crater was the first indication he’d reached the minefield, as something had triggered this one. Probably a deer, or bear, as anything smaller and lighter would have walked right over it. Something impinged on his senses just to the right of his chosen path, and guessing it was another mine he carefully moved around it. Without digging it up, he had no way of knowing if it had a sensor unit attached like the Imperial AP mines. Those were proximity as well as contact, and acted as an anti-tampering system to prevent mine clearing teams from disarming them. A spider web of wires ran under the grass, which also suggested that some of them were command detonated as an added precaution. If you used demo tape to clear a path through the mines, the deeper controlled mines would get you once you started down the supposedly cleared path.
In all it took him an hour to snake his way through the minefield, but he had all night to do what needed to be done. Tripping some unsuspected sensor, or alarm would send the place into lockdown and make it impossible for him to sneak his way in. That meant a major assault, and risked injuring, or even killing Ellis. It was a safe bet that this place was built to stop or prevent anyone breaching their way in, and even if they did, it would take weeks, or even months to fight their way down to the lower levels. On top of that, escape tunnels weren’t out of the question. This was the best way in, and didn’t entail getting a lot of good soldiers killed fighting their way down, only to find the inhabitants long gone when they got there. Penn made it to the base of the twenty-foot high concrete wall, delicately feeling the surface. The cold concrete felt smooth to the touch and there were no indications they’d buried sensors in the surface. Having been built before the invasion, that bit of Imperial tech hadn’t been available at the time. It was the top of the wall he was more concerned with. Here at least they could have embedded Imperial tech once it became available, but he’d run into that before, so it wasn’t a big problem. With his back to the wall, Penn slipped sideways until he reached the massive corner post. On top would be the mini flechette cannon sunk into the concrete, and either command or sensor activated. The trick was not to trip the sensors, or be seen. Pulling off his outer gloves and knee covers, he tested the gecko skin cammo suit layer on the wall, lifting himself off the ground with ease. Moving around to the outer face of the corner post, Penn slowly climbed the face of the wall like some giant spider, or lizard. Unbeknownst to most people there is a small blind spot in the sensor field atop most walls with weapons emplacements, and that is right where the weapon itself is embedded. The trick would be to come up directly on top of the weapon dome. Done slowly enough, the sensors would think he was part of the weapon. Reaching the top of the wall, Penn chinned himself up until could see along both walls. Sure enough, the flechette cannon was now recessed into its weatherproof casing, and he could sense as well as see the sensor nodes along the top of the wall. Now came the tricky part, but thankfully the place wasn’t flood lit so as not to draw attention to itself, so he didn’t have to worry about a sharp-eyed guard spotting him, forgetting for a moment that with his cammo suit they could be standing next to him and still not see him. Inch by inch, Penn pulled himself up and over the dome. He froze for a moment when the dome started rotating back and forth under his belly, as if seeking a target. Even if it deployed right now, it still couldn’t hurt him, at least this one couldn’t. That wasn’t to say one of the others on the next section of wall couldn’t range on him. Apparently satisfied that there wasn’t a threat, the dome stopped moving. Head first, Penn snaked over the wall and down the other side until he lay in deep shadow at the base of the wall.
