Fool's Gold: Carson Lyle's War - Part One, page 12
Dammit!
If he would have still had his cannon, this fight would've been over, Lyle thought, after seeing the laser hit the Fifty-four's cockpit.
He brought the Twelve out of its crouch and immediately turned for the rocks two hundred meters away. It was too far, he needed to buy a few seconds.
Lyle rotated the torso ninety-degrees right and tried to take aim with the laser. But the speed made it impossible to get a good lock. He fired anyway. All he needed to do was get her to pause for just a few seconds.
Lyle was still a hundred meters from the rocks when the weapons lock alarm sounded. He tried to swivel the torso back, which sounded another alarm. The waist linkage must have broken again. The torso was stuck.
The incoming fire tone sounded next. Lyle looked at the Fifty-four standing near the rock and the two fast moving streaks of smoke from the shoulder launcher.
All Lyle could do was brace for the impact. It was an excruciatingly long second and a half, that was interrupted by a quick POP POP POP from his mech.
The smoke streaks suddenly veered to his right, followed by a large explosion that rocked both mechs.
Live missile! Lyle yelled into the comm ink, "What the hell was that?"
His headset was suddenly filled with the voice of the A.I. controller, at the base. "Cease fire! Cease Fire! Stand down!"
Another voice came over the comm link. This time it was Colonel Mann himself. "Banshee, Wicker-Man, return to base immediately!"
Lyle rotated the mech to see where the missile hit. A large chunk of the canyon wall was obliterated.
Live missile? I fucking knew it!
But what had saved him? It was then he noticed a new indicator lit in his visor: COUNTERMEASURES. That's what the popping sound was. But he didn't do anything and there was no A.I. to do it for him. How did that happen?
He was convinced, more than ever, that none of this was happening by accident. Vostro had live weapons, so someone was trying to kill him. But he had a defense for those weapons, so someone wanted him to live. It was like two sides were playing some sort of sick game and he was the ball they batted back and forth.
Lyle knew they would be going straight to the Colonel before the mechs were even secured in their stalls. He'd damn sure get answers from someone, one way or another.
He turned the mech again and saw the Fifty-four was already heading back. With the torso stuck to the right, he wouldn't be able to follow at top speed.
Lyle's visor indicated an incoming private transmission. He was so angry, at the whole situation, he didn't want to talk to anyone. He flicked his eyes to the DECLINE button for a second and thought about it again.
After twenty seconds, his visor indicated the transmission again. Can't I have a fracking minute of peace? It had to be the Colonel trying to feed him his next line of bull.
He chose CONNECT and immediately started venting. "Colonel, if you think I'm going to listen to any damn thing you have to say—"
"I think you better listen, if you want to live."
It wasn't the Colonel. The voice was serious, but also sounded as though it was being fed through a filter.
"What is that supposed to mean? Who the hell is this?" Lyle said. He couldn't hide the edge in his voice.
"I just saved your life…and it probably won't be the last time I'll have to, either."
Lyle was beside himself with both anger and confusion to the point where he almost couldn't see straight.
"Saved my life, huh? Well how about you meet me in the mechbay so I can show my fucking gratitude, in person."
There was a brief pause then the voice said, "Is that anyway to talk to your new best friend? I'll be in touch soon."
There was click and the channel went to static.
Lyle sat there, stunned for several long seconds. Thoughts of everything that happened since he left Atlantia, began to fill his mind: The duel. The Colonel. The whole 501st. Being blamed for the busted jumpgate.
He started laughing,
The contract he won from Shorty. Shorty trying to steal it back.
He laughed harder.
El Dorado. Stealing his own ship with three of the craziest bastards he'd ever met. The Agents—
Lyle suddenly stopped laughing, and said, "The fucking Agents…"
The realization hit him harder than Vostro's cannon.
"'My new best friend'?…Son of bitch."
-END-
What did you think of FOOL’S GOLD? Don’t forget to return to the product page and leave a review.
Thanks -TJR
CARSON LYLE’S WAR is just beginning. He’s infiltrated the 501st. There’s already been an attempt on his life and he’s no closer to finding the man responsible for the death of his wife. And what about the ‘new best friend’ that just saved his life? Will Carson have to do what the Agents want after all?
The adventure continues in CARSON LYLE’S WAR: PART TWO coming to you this fall.
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Thomas J. Rock, Fool's Gold: Carson Lyle's War - Part One
