Gates of Hell

by Daniel Gibbs

  Pavlik made his way out of the house and onto the lawn of the farm; he drew a small scanning device out and began to calibrate it specifically to look for the residual electromagnetic signature of League electric motors. He slowly walked down the driveway of the farm, taking in the sights around him. A grain silo stuck up into the sky, with several other structures dotting the area. The scanner began to beep, drawing his attention. So there was a League vehicle here in the last twenty-four hours. Curious.

  Pavlik stared at the driveway and observed the tracks in it. There’s no evidence that the transporter was here. Maybe the scanner is wrong. As he continued to walk down the driveway and stare, he realized that something was off. This is all too pristine… it looks new. It suddenly dawned on him that the dirt had been raked over, then a horse and buggy had been run back and forth. Almost perfect… almost.

  If they were here, then why were they here? “Because Susanna is in courtship,” he said out loud, answering his question. It was well known the enlisted soldiers would try to bed the more attractive Amish girls when they turned sixteen. Pavlik had made examples out of several, but the practice wouldn’t go away. Because the platoon leaders think it’s funny. We should shoot them too.

  The barn stuck out at him as he scanned the property again. They wouldn’t take her back to the main house, Pavlik reasoned. He set off at a quick walk toward the bright red structure and strode in through the open doors. Pausing for a moment to look around, he saw that nothing was visually amiss, so he recalibrated the scanner to look for signs of human blood. It didn’t take long for the device to begin to beep; in short order, he found trace evidence of blood in several different places. Whoever cleaned up here did a damned good job. I can’t even tell what type of blood it was.

  Pavlik turned around, his face buried in the scanner, and found Ezekiel standing behind him. Surprised by his sudden and quiet appearance, his hand immediately went for the sidearm in its holster on his right thigh.

  “That will not be necessary, Major,” Ezekiel said, showing both hands, palms out. “I have not come to harm you.”

  “Then what?” Pavlik replied cautiously.

  “I am responsible for the deaths of your two soldiers.”

  “Why? I know you are a man of peace… all of you are.”

  “Because they violated my daughter. They brought her back here and tried to rape here in this barn. I heard her cries for help, grabbed the nearest weapon—a pitchfork—and stopped them.”

  “Why didn’t you call for the police? We would have dealt harshly with them,” Pavlik responded. Something doesn’t add up here.

  “They were dead, Major. I know what the League does to anyone who resists its rule. My entire family would have been executed. I realize that’s my fate now, but I must have your word I’m the only one to pay for the crime committed.”

  “What did you do with their bodies?”

  “I had several farmhands help me load them up into that vehicle they were driving. I drove it into the woods through trial and error; we buried the bodies and burned the vehicle.”

  If they’d done that, the locators implanted under the skin would have alerted us. “Who helped you?”

  “I will not reveal their names, Major. Please, only I am to blame.”

  Pavlik frowned, considering the revelations. Wouldn’t I have done the same? I’d protect my family to the death. Something is off here, though. There’s no way I buy this old man put down two privates fresh out of boot camp. “How’d you burn the transport?”

  Ezekiel hesitated for a moment. “I used kerosene.”

  “Can you take me to it?”

  “I’m not sure… we did this at night and buried it under trees. I can try if you’d like.”

  Definitely something else going on. “What about their weapons?”

  “We have no use for weapons, Major. They were burned with the transport.”

  “Who knows of this?”

  “Only the men who helped me, and my daughter.”

  “Where is your daughter now?”

  “I sent her away for a few weeks to recover from the trauma of what happened.”

  “I see,” Pavlik replied. I don’t buy it. “You realize I’m going to have to take you into custody?”

  Ezekiel’s shoulders sagged. “Yes, Major. Will you allow me to say goodbye to my wife for the last time?”

  There was something in the way that he said it that struck Pavlik to the core. Perhaps there’s a way I can figure out what’s really going on. Maybe Pan’s right for once, and we do have professional CDF soldiers on planet. It would explain a great many things. I’ll need to visit the crash site of the shuttle and find out for myself. “On second thought,” he said as Ezekiel had turned around and was shuffling out of the barn. “Perhaps I don’t need to take you in.”

  Ezekiel whirled around, startled. “Major?”

  “I would’ve done the same in your place,” Pavlik said as he pursed his lips together. “Truth be told, we would’ve executed the soldiers involved in this anyway. You saved us the cost of the bullets.”

  “I must answer to God for killing two men.”

  “Perhaps, but not to the League. Speak of this no more,” Pavlik said, stepping forward and slapping Ezekiel on the shoulder. “Your secret is safe with me.”

  “I don’t know how to repay you, Major.”

  “How about a jar of that amazing jam your wife makes?”

  Ezekiel flashed a weak smile. “We can do that.”

  “Good. I’ll pick it up the next time I’m out this way,” Pavlik said, giving Ezekiel one last squeeze on the shoulder and walking out of the barn. I’ll have this place watched day and night with drone surveillance. In the meanwhile, to the crash. Who knows how badly the technicians bungled the scene.

  13

  “Mata!” MacDonald yelled, seemingly into Ruth’s ear, causing her to wince. That guy has a voice. I bet he was hell as a drill instructor.

  “Master Chief!” Mata yelled back from the rear compartment of the transporter.

  “We’re going to stop about a click out. I want you providing overwatch from the high ground. You got that?”

  “Aye aye, Master Chief!”

  “Meissner, pull over here,” MacDonald ordered, pointing toward the side of the trail they were on; it couldn’t really be called a road, as it wasn’t paved, even with gravel. As the vehicle came to a stop, the back door opened, and Mata took off running toward a hill about half a kilometer away. “Okay, take us in nice and slow. Heads on a swivel.”

  Ruth stared out the window, sweeping the countryside with her gaze. The planet, while lush, wasn’t the normal green hue she was used to. Many of the flowers were blue, a byproduct of a slightly different formation of their chlorophyll. She was pondering the wonder of the different color palette as they came to a stop directly in front of the building. The rear compartment opened, and the commandos filed out; Ruth kicked her door open, as did Meissner. “Stay frosty, boys,” MacDonald intoned.

  “There are two girls here too, Master Chief,” Ruth interjected.

  “Nothing stopping you two from staying frosty,” MacDonald replied with a wry grin. “Sit tight with the civilian, Lieutenant. We’ll scope the place out.”

  Ruth opened her mouth to argue but realized he was right. Susanna can’t be left alone, and she can’t be taken into a potential combat situation. “Understood, Master Chief.”

  MacDonald and Meissner were the last two out. Ruth observed them stack up against the door and breach quickly, the shouts of “Clear!” filling her commlink as they moved through the structure.

  “You don’t let them speak down to you,” Susanna observed.

  Ruth tilted her head. “No, I don’t.”

  “Do they do it because you’re a woman?”

  “No,” Ruth replied, suppressing a smirk. “They do it because they’re tier-one commandoes and I’m a fleet officer. To them, I don’t know what I’m doing.”

  “In what w
ay?”

  “They’ve trained most of their adult lives to be the best soldiers the Terran Coalition has to offer. They can endure pain the likes of which you and I can’t imagine. I’ve seen tier-ones take a bullet and keep on going without even stopping to dress the wound.”

  “You sound impressed with them.”

  “Beyond impressed,” Ruth agreed. “They know how to fight in ways I’ll never be able to. Still, I’m competent and in more than just ship weapons. The only way to get them to see that is to prove it to them through actions.”

  “Why does proving it to them matter to you?”

  Why, indeed? “I don’t know. I guess that’s a good question.”

  “Amish women do as we’re told by our fathers and husbands.”

  Ruth frowned. “I don’t think I’d handle that too well. No one tells me what to do, except my commanding officer.”

  “It’s simply the way of things,” Susanna said. “It’s our culture.”

  “Don’t you ever want to do something more than what you do here? I mean, don’t get me wrong, I admire your people’s dedication to a plain lifestyle and shutting out technology. But not all of it is bad.”

  “That’s why most people who test out our ways can’t stay. They crave something more, as you put it. I think that something more is a hole in all of us.”

  “Oh?”

  “We find different ways to fill it. I plan to marry a Godly man, have many children, and make a well-run farm,” Susanna said, a trace of pride in her voice. “What about you?”

  “I fill my life with fighting the League,” Ruth replied. “It’s what I’ve known since I was a child.”

  “Do you like it?”

  Ruth shrugged. “I don’t know if I like it, but I’m good at it.”

  “Why?”

  “Revenge at first, I think. Over time, I grew to realize I had talents for specific parts of combat, so I focused on those, honed my skills, and applied for a higher position. The CDF isn’t a bad gig, you know? Give them twenty to thirty years of your life, defend our way of life, and in return, there’s a nice retirement. You also get to see the galaxy for free,” Ruth said while a grin spread across her face. “That’s what the recruiter told me anyway.”

  “Do you regret your path?”

  “Never.”

  “I think that’s all we can hope for in life, isn’t it?”

  “Anyone ever tell you that you’re wise for a teenager?”

  “My mother says I’m an old soul.”

  “She’s right,” Ruth said. “At least as far as I’m concerned.”

  “All clear!” MacDonald’s voice interrupted through the commlink in Ruth’s helmet. “Feel free to join us, Lieutenant.”

  “Let’s go,” Ruth said, gesturing to the garage. “They’ve cleared the structure, and it’s safe for us to enter.”

  Ruth dropped out of the vehicle and steadied her rifle, pointing the barrel toward the ground.

  Susanna made her way around the cab and came up beside her.

  “Come on,” Ruth said and trudged the few feet to what had once been the front door of the establishment. She pushed the door in, taking in the sight of dusty shelves and smashed windows, indicating it had been abandoned long ago.

  “This place has seen better days,” Ruth commented as MacDonald and Harrell walked into the store portion of the little shop.

  “I think the lieutenant just got promoted to Captain Obvious,” Harrell deadpanned.

  “That means I outrank you one more rung, Senior Chief,” Ruth replied, equally free of mirth. “Did you find a functional charging station?”

  “Rostami is working on it now,” MacDonald said. “We’re going to get the transport moved inside of the garage, just in case we get unwanted visitors.”

  “Sounds like a plan, Master Chief,” Ruth said.

  “Glad to you know you approve,” Harrell said, apparently unable to help himself.

  “You ever going to quit razzing me, Senior Chief?”

  “Probably not, but the next time you go wild and kill some Leaguers, I’ll be momentarily impressed and give you a pass for ten minutes.”

  Ruth rolled her eyes, a smirk evident. “I’ll see if I can oblige before this op is over.”

  “Master Chief, I found a fusion battery, and it’s almost fully charged. We’ll be back in business inside of two hours,” Rostami said through the commlink, cutting into the banter.

  “Excellent,” MacDonald stated. “Harrell, get that vehicle moved. LT, bring the civilian into the garage and camp out. I don’t want her leaving your sight.”

  “Roger that, Master Chief,” Ruth said, taking Susanna by the arm and taking her along through the next door, stepping gingerly through overturned shelves and trash as she did.

  The garage was just as trashed as the rest of the structure; there were piles of garbage and refuse, empty boxes, and food wrappers everywhere. I wonder if people tried to hide here from the League after the evacuation? Ruth pointed at an empty corner of the room. “Let’s stay over here,” she said to Susanna as the door to the garage creaked open.

  Once the door had fully opened, the lumbering transporter drove into the bay in fits and stops. Once it came to a halt, Meissner jumped out of the driver’s side and slammed the door shut. “It barely fits,” he commented, causing Ruth to look up toward the ceiling and see the top of the vehicle stood less than six inches from the ceiling.

  “Close enough for CDF work,” Ruth said to chuckles from those in earshot.

  Rostami poked his head into the garage and tossed a long cable toward Meissner. “Plug this into the charging port.”

  “You got it,” Meissner replied, popping open the cover for the charger and attaching the cable, which erupted in a shower of sparks. “Guess it’s live, eh?”

  Ruth broke into a smirk. “I’m going to go with yes.”

  “Everyone’s a critic on this team,” Meissner complained to laughter from the rest of them.

  “Oh, I just give it back as much as I take it,” Ruth said with a touch of snark. “Girl power, you know.”

  The garage door dropped down with a thud. Susanna jumped a bit at the sound, causing Ruth to glance back at her. “You okay?”

  “Yeah,” Susanna began. “I don’t like loud noises now.”

  Poor thing probably has PTSD. “It’s okay, you’ll be fine in here,” she said. “Meissner, how long ‘til this piece of crap is recharged?”

  “Three hours or so, give or take?”

  “Master Chief, you’ve got company incoming,” Mata’s voice interrupted on the commlink. “Got a patrol vehicle, League issue. Three soldiers and one heavy weapon mounted to the back of it.”

  “Distance, Mata?” MacDonald replied through the commlink.

  “Three clicks. You’ve got five mikes before they arrive. Should I engage?”

  “Negative. Do not engage; we need them to keep going right on by. Everyone, listen up! Get inside the garage, don’t make a sound. Move!”

  A few moments later, the rest of the team came racing in, led by MacDonald. They crouched behind the doors, kept their heads down, and hid behind the vehicle itself. “Not a word,” MacDonald whispered as a warning.

  Ruth could hear the soft whirring of an electric motor as it came closer and felt her heartbeat quicken inside of her chest. “Tangos are slowing, appear to be pulling in to park,” Mata’s voice whispered over the commlink. “I have them in my sights.”

  “Hold,” MacDonald breathed out.

  Muffled voices were heard outside of the door, and shadows passed through the room. Ruth tightened her grip on the battle rifle she carried, expecting to need it at any moment.

  “Tangos are peering through the windows, Master Chief,” Mata said. “Something has their attention.”

  Susanna leaned over and whispered into Ruth’s ear, “What are they doing?”

  Ruth shook her head and shrugged her shoulders while pressing a finger to her lips for silence. Outside, the rust
ling continued along with the noise of male voices.

  “They see us,” Susanna fretted in a whisper.

  “Master Chief, they’re spooked. Repeat, tangos not moving on. One of them is heading toward the front door,” Mata said in a whisper through the commlink.

  “Hold,” MacDonald repeated, sub-vocalizing the command.

  Susanna stood quietly and pointed toward the door in the back of the store area of the building. Before Ruth could grab her, she took off.

  MacDonald almost lost it. He flailed his arms, and cursed into the commlink, again in a whisper. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

  “Master Chief, civilian has exited the building,” Mata reported.

  Outside, Ruth heard shouts of “Halt! Stop! Hands up!”

  “Do you have a shot, Chief?” Ruth whispered into the commlink.

  “Yes, ma’am,” Mata replied.

  “You are not cleared to fire, Mata. Lieutenant, shut the hell up and stand down. We’re not going loud unless we have no other choice to save our own lives,” MacDonald rasped into the commlink.

  “You’re a long way from home, little one,” one of the Leaguers shouted.

  “I’m out exploring,” Susanna replied in a voice loud enough to be heard inside the structure.

  “She’s trying to get them to move on,” Ruth stated.

  “Thank you, Captain Obvious,” MacDonald caustically replied.

  Amidst the crosstalk, Ruth couldn’t hear the Leaguers. “Shut up, all of you.”

  “The two tangos are heading back to their vehicle.”

  “Are you sure you don’t need a ride?” a male voice said.

  “No, a friend is coming by with his buggy soon. We have dinner at the next farm to celebrate his birthday,” Susanna said.

  I’m blown away she’s being this cool, calm, and collected.

  “Okay, be safe, then. To the League!”

  A few more seconds passed. “Third tango is heading back to the vehicle,” Mata stated. Ruth didn’t move a muscle as they all waited. “He’s on board, and they’re moving off. We’re clear.”

  Susanna skipped through the door, all smiles. “How’d I do?”

  “You pull a stunt like that again, I’ll shoot you my damn self,” MacDonald barked.