by G J Ogden
Tyler started rubbing his knuckles again, but nodded and then excused himself. Maria hoped that he was as smart as Gaia had indicated, but from the way Tyler had reacted, her gut told her that two hours was a wildly optimistic figure that he had simply guessed at random when put under pressure. They would need the GARDs to stand any chance against Kurren, and even these may not be enough.
“Gaia, is there any way to fence off this city block, so that the UEC soldiers will be forced to abandon their transports and approach on foot?” asked Maria.
Gaia considered the question and then nodded. “There may be a way to block off the major streets, but they will still be able to get close.”
“Show me,” said Maria. Gaia then explained that each major street intersection contained retractable barriers that could be raised up from the compartments under the street surface. They were installed during the construction phase as safety measures to protect the manual workers, while the gigantic automated machinery worked in other areas.
“Cordoning off this block will only take away the advantage of their transports,” said Page. “Without weapons to fight with, we’ll need those GARDs, and anything else you can give us to crack their blue armor.”
“I’m sorry,” said Gaia. “I wish we had more.”
“It will have to do,” said Maria. “We’ll position the GARDs out of sight and take up positions down this main street, using an intersection barrier for cover. If we can block off the intersections at the correct locations, we can funnel them into a choke point.”
Page sighed heavily. “It’s as good a plan as any,” he said, and then to Gaia, added “It would help to get my own back, if you still have it?”
Gaia smiled. “My daughter wanted to strip it for parts, but you’re in luck; it’s still in one piece.”
Page turned to Ethan. “Can you co-ordinate the evacuation and get the survivors back inside the complex?”
“They are good people,” said Ethan. “They are frightened, but brave. We’ll be ready.”
“But what shall we tell them about why we’re moving them again, especially so soon?” said Gaia. “They will be suspicious, and worried.”
Maria thought for a moment, rubbing her face and eyes, in an attempt to revitalize her weary body and mind. She knew that their time running from Kurren would soon be over, and that this place would host their stand against him. If they failed, they lost everything. Too many had died already at his hands and yet, even if they survived, the three hundred men, women and children would carry scars that would never heal. Right now they were still in shock, but in time they would come to understand the scale of their loss, and it would haunt them for years to come; probably for the rest of their lives. There was no victory to be had in this fight; simply a lesser level of defeat. But, even if she couldn’t win, she would make sure that Kurren lost everything he had gained, and that he knew, at that end, that it was Maria Salus who had taken it from him. “We tell them the truth. We tell them that the UEC has found us and that General Kurren is coming, and we tell them not to be afraid. We tell them everything will be okay. Because we’re going to take him down. We’re going to take all of them down.”
Chapter 30
The cavern amplified the noise of the explosion to such a level that Ethan thought a fragment of the GPS space station had pierced the sky and smashed into the mountain. The whole cave shook; dust and rocks fell from above like lethal hailstones, narrowly missing Ethan, and the halo lights above them flickered and crackled like lightning.
“They’re here!” Page called out, brushing dust and debris off the screen of his PVSM. “They’ve blown through the engineering door about a kilometer ahead, and the two transports are heading this way.”
Damn it, too soon! Maria cursed. Despite his cageyness, Tyler’s abilities had matched his ego and the engineer had managed to return the east wing of the engineering complex, unused for over a century, to a state that was almost ready for basic habitation. But the atmosphere inside was still toxic, as a result of the air filtration systems being inactive for so long, and it would still be almost an hour before they could start moving everyone back inside. As a result, the survivors were still waiting inside the museum.
“I’ll get the survivors to move out now,” said Ethan, starting back towards the museum, but Maria called out to him to stop.
“Not yet, the east wing isn’t ready. We have to lock down the museum as best we can and push Kurren back. We have to buy more time.”
Ethan looked at the street ahead of them, barricaded at the end of the block, about a hundred meters from their own position. Soon, a group of heavily-armed soldiers would appear and advance toward their position. They didn’t know how many, but Page had estimated anywhere from twenty to thirty, depending on their losses during the mountain assault. Even twenty would mean they were vastly outgunned.
Tyler and Niels had successfully raised the barriers at every other junction in the city block, leaving the main street as the only unobstructed route towards their location. They had also killed the lights to the rest of the city, so unless the UEC soldiers wanted to advance in darkness, hurdling shoulder-high barricades, the main street was the only route in.
Maria knew that poor lighting conditions would normally be no obstacle to a soldier wearing the UEC’s most advanced combat armor, but Page had explained how the radiation had rendered his suit’s systems largely useless, almost immediately after arriving. The other soldiers had been exposed for much longer, and so Maria was banking on their advanced helmet-based sensors now being unusable. Even so, the protection the vibrant blue armor offered was still considerable, especially against their weapons. Their only hope was that the GARDs had enough punch to give Kurren a bloody nose, and force a retreat. Niels and Zoie had succeeded in reactivating two of these powerful sentries, which were now hidden in the upper storeys of buildings either side of the barricade where Kurren’s transports would be forced to stop. Two GARDs would not be enough to take out all of the General’s men, but Kurren would not know how many Maria had, and her plan depended on him assuming she had more.
Page, who was once again wearing his own shimmering blue armor, ran over and ducked down behind the barricade with Ethan and Maria.
“The museum is locked down, but it was never designed to be a fortress,” said Page. “It wouldn’t take much to get inside, but I’ve moved everyone to the internal hall, away from any windows, so they should be safe.”
Maria heard footsteps approaching from behind her and she swung around, instinctively drawing her sidearm, only to see Yuna lumbering towards them, holding two large, rectangular boxes in her arms. “Damn it Yuna, I could have shot you!”
“Sorry all!” said Yuna, with surprising cheerfulness. “I just thought you might appreciate these.”
She set down the two boxes, which thudded heavily onto the smooth, solid street surface and then proceeded to undo the clasps and open the lids. Reaching inside the first box, she removed something that looked part rifle, part crossbow and placed it in front of them. It took Ethan a few seconds to realize that he’d seen this contraption before. “Is this is the thing you used to take out those wolves in the cave tunnel?”
Yuna smiled and nodded, and then proudly added, “It’s my own invention; I call it a bolt thrower. We needed something to fend off those beasts on the rare occasions we had to venture outside, and so I designed this.”
She opened the second box, which was chunkier than the first and, with noticeably greater effort, lifted a second device onto the floor beside the first one. This was perhaps twenty percent bigger and, comparing the two side-by-side, Ethan thought it looked more dangerous, and he said as much to Yuna.
“Oh yes, it is!” she said, smiling even more broadly now. “This is my mark-two design; more powerful and more accurate. This can put a bolt straight through a solid metal door, so your fancy blue armor should be no problem.” As she said this, Yuna wrapped her knuckles on Page’s armored shoulder, as
if knocking politely before entering a room.
“I guess I’ll go for the bigger one then,” said Ethan, reaching for the mark-two bolt thrower, but before he could pick it up, Yuna placed on hand on top of it.
“Oh no, this one isn’t for you,” she said. “This one is mine.”
They all recoiled a little, and it was eventually Maria that said what all three had been thinking. “Yuna, I appreciate the offer, but this is not your fight.”
“It’s as much our fight as yours,” said Yuna, her voice becoming suddenly firm. “This is our home too. Besides, from what I’ve been hearing, you’re vastly outnumbered. You need my help.”
Maria shook her head. She couldn’t deny that one extra body would be a huge help, but too many had suffered and died because of her, and she could not stand for any more innocents to be caught in the line of fire. “These aren’t just wolves, Yuna. They are trained soldiers. If you stand with us, they will treat you no differently. I don’t want to see you get hurt, or killed.”
Yuna stood up with the larger of the two bolt throwers, and slung the strap attached to the savage-looking device over her shoulder. “It’s a good job that you’re not my commander then, isn’t it?”
The whine of the transports’ engines echoing down the street cut short the debate. Ethan picked up the second bolt thrower and they all crouched behind the barricade, trying to catch a glimpse of the approaching vehicles. A few moments later, two pairs of bright lights appeared at the end of the street and stopped by the barrier. The engines continued to whine softly, but no-one got out.
“Hey, Yuna,” Ethan said in a hushed voice. “How do you use this thing?”
Yuna reached over and turned three small dials on the body of the bolt thrower all the way to the right. The device began to make a low hum and Ethan could actually feel the vibrations against his body. Yuna pointed to a trigger on the underside, close to a grip that appeared broadly similar to UEC sidearms. “Now you just point it and pull the trigger. Make sure you’re holding on tight.”
“And make sure you’re pointing that thing at the enemy when you do, okay?” Maria chipped in, without looking back.
Ethan considered a snarky reply, but was distracted by the thud of doors sliding open, followed seconds later by the orderly thump of blue boots hitting the street.
They watched in silence and Maria counted as each one alighted and took up positions behind the barricade. She counted to twenty, before there was a brief delay, and two more armored soldiers got out, one of whom appeared not to be wearing a helmet. Maria squinted in the gloom, focusing on this figure, and from the way he moved and stood, she knew it was Kurren. The other appeared to be his second.
“Looks like the mighty General has replaced you already,” said Maria to Page.
Page checked his PVSM. The decontamination process had the unintended, but welcome, side-effect of improving the effectiveness of the device, and he was able to pick up the personal idents of each soldier. From this he knew who Kurren’s new 2IC was.
“I know him well,” said Page. “He’s a sergeant called Nurem, though from his ident it looks like Kurren has given him a field promotion. He’s a cold-hearted soldier, but none too bright.”
Maria had almost forgotten that Page had been Kurren’s second in command until recently, and since he had donned the blue combat armor again, Maria had felt on edge. “Last chance to change your mind, Major,” she said, laying her cards on the table. There was no time to skirt around the subject. “Fight with us, and you’re a traitor, just like me.”
Page held her gaze. It had all been theory up until this point, but as he faced his own men across the divide – men he had fought and bled with – it suddenly became real. As he searched Maria’s eyes he realized he felt no conflict; in her eyes he saw only the reflection of himself. “I’m all in, Commander. Right until the very end.”
Their attention was drawn back to the enemy by Nurem stepping back inside the transport and then emerging again with a third figure, who was not wearing armor.
“What the hell?” said Maria, as much to herself as to the others. “Who is that?”
No-one spoke as they watched Nurem jostle the person forward, past Kurren and over the barrier, which had intentionally only been raised high enough to stop the transport from progressing down the street. Slowly, the figure began to walk towards them, followed by Kurren and Nurem, side-by-side, and then the twenty other soldiers, advancing in combat formation.
“They’re coming, we need to spring the trap,” said Page with composed urgency.
“Not until we know who that is,” said Maria. “It could be a hostage; you said yourself they may have taken prisoners.”
“We may have no choice,” said Page, gravely. “If they advance too far then the GARDs become useless.”
Maria clenched her teeth. Though Page had not said it explicitly, she knew he was suggesting that the hostage may have to be considered as collateral damage, and as callous as this sounded, he was right.
“Okay, get ready,” said Maria, with a heavy heart. “But hold for my order.”
Page accessed his PVSM and entered the control code, ready to launch the GARDs at a moment’s notice. There had been little time to finesse the programming of these devices, so Zoie had performed what she had called a ‘dirty hack’ to have them target only those wearing the UEC combat armor. That he himself was also wearing this armor had given him pause, but he had expected to be well clear of the GARDs when they were activated. So the closer the other soldiers got, the more the risk that he would be targeted too.
The party continued to advance and they all watched anxiously as they marched alongside the building where the GARDs had been hidden. Page again looked at Maria, though this time appearing visibly less composed.
Maria peered out, desperately trying to identify the stranger marching towards them, but the light was still too gloomy, and time was running out. Damn it! She thought. Whoever you are, you’re on your own… She was about to issue the command to Page when Ethan suddenly stood up, his face whiter than milk. “Ethan, get down!” shouted Maria.
She was about to grab him when Ethan leapt over the barricade and stood, numb, staring ahead. “Oh no!” he cried, and then he dropped the bolt thrower and started running toward the approaching soldiers. “Summer!”
Maria heard Ethan’s cry and peered out again at the figure approaching them, and then she saw her too. It was Summer. Their hostage was Summer.
“What is he doing?” said Page. “Who is that? We need to spring the trap, or we’re all done!”
Maria rubbed her temples and pressed her eyes shut. Damn it, Kurren, you cowardly bastard!
She tried to focus, and to think of their options, but no matter how hard she tried, it boiled down to two: they had to spring the trap and risk Ethan and Summer being caught in the crossfire, or allow Kurren forward. Somehow, Kurren had discovered Summer’s significance, and now he intended to use her to trade for Maria.
“Commander, it’s now or never!” cried Page.
Tactically, Maria knew that two lives, no matter who they were, could not be put ahead of three hundred, but the thought of sacrificing Ethan and Summer made her sick. Kurren did not want them, and though there was no guarantee he would spare the others, Maria could not allow them to suffer because of her. She placed her sidearm gently on the smooth surface and then looked at Page.
He looked back and instantly understood. “Don’t do it, Maria. He’ll kill you, and he won’t stop there. You’ll die for nothing!”
“When I go out there, spring the trap,” said Maria, calmly. “I’ll shout for Summer and Ethan to run. In the confusion, they will have a chance.”
“Maria, please, this is suicide!” said Page, but Maria’s mind was set. “Those are my orders, Major.”
Page stared back into her eyes and then cried out in frustration, punching the barricade and leaving a fist-shaped dent in the thick metal panel. He stared into nothing for a moment
and then said, quietly. “Yes sir.”
Maria took a deep breath, placed her hands on the barricade, feeling the cool metal against her skin, and then stood up.
“Wait! There’s someone else out there!” The call came from Yuna.
Maria ducked back down and saw three more figures moving though the street, approaching Kurren’s soldiers. She could hardly believe her eyes. “It’s Ann Kurren and her boys,” said Maria. “It’s the General’s wife and sons.”
“His wife and sons?” said Yuna, not certain if she’d heard correctly. “Why is his family amongst the survivors?
“It’s a long story, Yuna,” said Maria, “And right now, the more important question is why is she walking out to face him?”
“Maybe she’s had second thoughts?” suggested Page. “She could be giving herself up; throwing herself on his mercy?”
“Whatever she’s doing, our plan is shot,” said Maria. “I have to go out there. Maybe I can at least save Ethan and Summer. I can’t believe even a monster like Kurren would start shooting with his sons standing out on the street.”
“Wait, this could work in our favor,” said Page to Maria. “Our plan may be shot, but so is Kurren’s. He can’t have foreseen this, either.”
“So, what do you suggest?” asked Maria.
“As you said, he’ll have to get his children off the street first. So let it play out. Ethan knows we have the GARDs ready; he’ll try to get himself and Summer to safety too.”
“And what if he doesn’t?” said Maria. “He’s not likely to be thinking straight right now.”
Page held Maria’s eyes. “Just give him a chance. Give yourself a chance too, Maria. We can still do this.”
Maria looked back out along the street. The soldiers had stopped advancing, just beyond the building where the GARDs were hidden, but still in range, and Ethan and Ann Kurren were nearly upon them. She had argued that Ethan wouldn’t be thinking straight, but she couldn’t think straight herself. Her gut told her to run over, to give herself up to Kurren, and plead with him to let Ethan and Summer go. But the soldier in her told her to listen to Page.