The Vagabonds (The Code of War Book 4)

by Jim Roberts

  For now…

  Titus, flanked by Vorena and her two guardian Sirens, stopped just in front of Sledge. The billionaire did not turn to greet them; instead, he continued to lean against the rail.

  Jerrica Peters cleared her throat. “Sir, the ah…people from Olympus are here to see you.”

  Sledge turned his head. Titus winced behind his mask. The man looked like an absolute wreck. Being a billionaire obviously did nothing to help Sledge’s personal hygiene.

  “It’s about goddamn time you came here, Tribune Titus.”

  “Secondus Titus, Sledge.”

  “Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t know the Imperator had given you his blessing of inheritance,” Sledge said, his voice reeking of smugness.

  “That isn’t your concern. I and my friends here are quite busy with trying to win a war. What is so important that couldn’t wait until later?”

  “The Vagabonds, what do you think? Those bastards have a reward out for my head. I’ve been stuck down here for the past two weeks.”

  “I told you we are doing everything to hunt down the Vagabonds and their leader, Lennox.”

  Rafelson, the stuffy Financial Officer, spoke up for the first time since arriving in the underground complex, “Listen, Mister Titus, or whatever you call yourself, this organization has provided Olympus with enough equipment to invade a large nation. Our CEO has made a deal and you must—”

  Titus cut the man off with a gesture, “Tell your man, Sledge, that if he speaks again, I will kill him.”

  The color drained from Jerrica Peters face. Rafelson fumed and looked like he might take the Secondus up on the threat. Sledge held up a hand to restrain his business partner. “That won’t be necessary, Titus.”

  “Good.” Titus said, “Now as far as the Vagabonds go, I have a plan to track them down. Lennox will soon be in our hands, and you can fulfill your end of the bargain.”

  “I heard about the attack in Caracas last night. You must forgive me if I doubt your effectiveness as a commander, Titus.”

  “Yes,” Rafelson agreed, “and if you fail again, Sledge Dynamics will have no choice but to—”

  His last words were cut off as Titus’s hand flew up and gripped the businessman by the throat. The Olympus Secondus’ superb conditioning held the man tight over the railing. Rafelson tried to fight off the vice-like grip but failed. Titus turned to look at the man, making certain the last thing he saw was the cold obsidian mask he wore.

  “As I said, speak to me again, and you will die.” Titus turned to look at Sledge, “I am a man of my word.”

  So much for best behavior.

  With that, he clenched his fist and tore the businessman’s throat out.

  Blood sprayed over Titus’s arm and onto Jerrica Peters, who screamed at the sight.

  Beside him, Vorena smiled.

  Titus let the man fall over the side of the rail, watching as the body smashed against the bottom of the drone chamber. The techs around the facility looked over at the dead man, scared looks on their faces. But as soon as they saw where the man had fallen from, they immediately returning to work as if nothing happened.

  Sledge’s guards rushed over, weapons at the ready. The industrialist signaled them to leave.

  Titus wiped his hand against his cloak, “Here is my proposal, Damien. I will do my part and find Lennox. Once the Imperator has dealt with him, I’ll even deliver his head on a plate for you if you wish. When that’s done, you make good on your part. Deal?”

  Sledge let out a bemused sigh before nodding, “Fine. But you’d better not fail, Titus. I have everything riding on this. My men will begin loading the container vessel at the Puerto Cabello dock within the next day. When Lennox and the Vagabonds are defeated, you will have your army.”

  Titus smiled under his mask. “Good.” He turned to leave. Jerrica Peters was still quivering at the sight of the dead body. She clutched the guardrail, eyes like dinner plates watching the group move past her.

  Vorena stopped in front of her—the Siren standing a good six inches shorter than Sledge’s aide.

  “We in Olympus do not enjoy being talked down to,” Vorena said, a menacing tone in her voice, “Remember that should we meet again.” She reached up and patted the woman’s cheek. The look of horror on Jerrica Peters’ face was enough to bring a pure smile to Titus’s fleshless lips. As the group left back the way they came, the sound of the woman retching behind them could be heard all the way to the elevator.

  * * *

  WITH THE Hyperion on its way back to Caracas, Titus eased into his chair. The meeting had gone better than he’d expected. Everything was under control and he’d even had a chance to blow off some steam. Using a towel to wipe the remains of the blood from his hands, Titus kept his eye on the beautiful Siren sitting across from him.

  Setting the towel down, he asked, “So, you are the Imperator’s choice to run this war—how would you go about finding these terrorists?”

  Vorena sat in her seat, legs crossed as the VTOL cruised through the sky. “I’ve had Claudia interrogating several of the VPA rebels we’ve captured over the past month. So far, none of them know anything about the Vagabonds true location…”

  “But?” Titus asked.

  “But, we have been able to learn that the arms dealer, Curtis Walker, received much of his supply from certain villages in the southwest of Venezuela. The cartel members who worked as security for him told Claudia the supplies originated from villages in the southern cloud forests of Venezuela, specifically the Apure province.”

  Titus arched his head, unsure what to think of that news. “That makes little sense. Much of that region is too remote for a military headquarters. So far, we know that these Vagabonds are well equipped and armed. They must have a high tech base somewhere more urban.”

  “Perhaps they are funded by another organization, FARC, for example,” Vorena said, wondering out loud.

  “Perhaps. For now, I think some…persuasion to the locals of the cloud forest would give us the necessary results we’re looking for.”

  Vorena smiled. “You read my mind. I think it’s time we spread some true terror around. Nothing persuades more than fear, and my Sirens are the finest in that department.”

  Titus fell silent. There was something else on his mind he wasn’t sure if he should tell the woman.

  Hell with it.

  “Of course, you know that the Peacemakers are here now,” Titus said, “They were the ones that spirited Walker away from your trap.”

  “Of course, I know that.”

  “Joe Braddock was with them,” Titus felt his jaw clench in unspoken rage, “He was the one, who—”

  “I read the brief from Zimbala. I know what he did to Lord Octavia.”

  “I have a feeling Joe and his crew of misfits will try to find Lennox as well. That man will die by my hands before he leaves this country.”

  Vorena nodded. “We’ve been monitoring the carrier strike force off the coast. It’s obvious they aren’t just here to aid in the removal of foreign nationals. I have units keeping an eye on them. If there’s any movement from the Peacemakers, we should have a heads up.”

  Titus nodded. He admired the woman’s quick mind. As they sat in silence, he caught her looking at him; her eyes admiring the corded muscles of his well-conditioned body. It didn’t seem to matter to her that he wore the mask. The woman sitting across from him amazed the young Secondus.

  She was so…perfect, so beautiful.

  And I’m a monster, he thought bitterly.

  He pushed down the feelings of lust and concentrated on the war at hand. He knew that Tiberius was working even now to undermine his claim on the title of Imperator. This drone army was the last ace in the hole Titus had. It was either succeed or die.

  So went the simple rule for those who served Olympus.

  Chapter 15

  A Simple Truth

  The Cottage, Rosaryville, Maryland, October 5th

  “Oh bloody hell, you plo
nker tugging nonce!”

  The torrent of British slang being thrown at the computer console made Jade think twice about interrupting Doctor Cairncross. Having poured herself a coffee from the mess hall, she’d entered the R&D wing of the Cottage to check on the Doctor’s progress.

  Over the past few days since the rest of the Peacemaker team had left for Venezuela, Jade had spent the time dealing with the mountain of paperwork the General had left her with, as well as straightening out the details of delivering the Code disc to its future home. She needed a short break before getting back to the grind.

  It was nighttime in Maryland; the sun having set an hour ago. Jade reckoned she’d got maybe six hours of sleep in the past forty-eight. Once she’d made sure the Doctor had everything he needed, she was going to get some well-deserved sack-time.

  Tagging along beside her was the team’s designated mascot, Bowser. The German Shepherd-Mastiff crossbreed was being trained by the Peacemaker’s K-9 unit to aid for future use in the field. The General had taken a page from the Navy SEAL’s book and founded a dog training unit within the Peacemakers. Bowser, having been found by Krieger and Brick in the war-torn hellhole of Sadoma City, was a natural fit for the position.

  Jade had asked the trainer if she could take the dog out for a quick jog around the base to help keep her awake. The dog looked around the lab—its high-tech contents bewildering the big canine.

  Cairncross typed feverishly at the console in front of him, while occasionally switching to a multi-touch interface screen to make further adjustments. The man wore a set of earbuds, attached to an IPod lying on the desk.

  Jade approached the man from behind, placing a hand on his shoulder. “Doctor?” she said quietly.

  Cairncross jolted in his chair, turning around. The man had shed his stylish suit jacket and tie. His white shirtsleeves were rolled past his elbows. Judging by the multitude of coffee cups and empty cans of Red Bull piled around the workstation, he’d been working for quite a while.

  “Oh, Specialist Masters!” Cairncross removed the earbuds, “I didn’t hear you come in.”

  “Sorry to sneak up on you. I just came to check and see if you needed—”

  “Oh, no no no, I’m fine, thank you—is that a dog?”

  “Yes, this is Bowser.”

  The animal sat on his haunches and let out a quick bark.

  Cairncross grimaced. “I’m not much for dogs. See he doesn’t touch any of the equipment.”

  Jade hid a smile. Bowser was far too well trained to get in the way of the Doctor’s work. She looked at the various computer screens. Surrounding the Doctor’s work area were several refrigerator-sized computer mainframes, humming quietly.

  Beyond the mainframes, held in a dock amidst a sea of wires and other equipment was the unknowable thing—

  The Code of War.

  The obsidian disc sat forlornly in its socket; a simple piece of technology to the unknowing eye. But what it contained could alter the future of war.

  …or so the General believed, Jade thought to herself. The whole idea of this device being some sort of way for Olympus to—as Walsh had put it—raise the Fog of War, sounded so silly to Jade, she still had a hard time believing it. But apparently, this disc was one-half of a puzzle Olympus required and they would do anything to get it back. Jade learned long ago not to question Walsh and his war against the PMC.

  Still, some answers about the thing would be more than appreciated.

  Looking over the Doctor’s shoulder, Jade asked, “I hope you don’t think I’m prying, Doctor, but what are you trying to do?”

  Cairncross continued to work like a feverish madman, speaking without looking at his guest.

  “I’m attempting to hack past the untold terabytes of security firewalls within the second layer of the disc password infrastructure.”

  “How many layers are there?” Jade asked, rubbing Bowser’s chin.

  “Around 2.4 million.”

  Jade choked at the number. “So you’re still trying to hack the disc?”

  “No, I’ve given up on that ages ago. The encryption technology on this disc is unlike anything ever created. Everything we attempt is immediately turned against us.”

  “Do you mind if I sit?”

  “Please.”

  Jade pulled a chair over beside the Doctor, taking a sip of her coffee. Bowser laid down obediently beside her. “So why still try to decrypt it?”

  Cairncross snatched one of the coffee cups, still concentrated on the screen. Seeing it was empty he scoffed and tossed it away to land on the floor of the lab.

  “I’m not. I’m trying to put something onto it.”

  The statement puzzled Jade. “I don’t under—”

  “Don’t worry, Specialist. You don’t need to understand.”

  Jade frowned. The man was certainly no conversationalist. She checked her watch. There was still some time to kill before her shift was over. She decided to change tact.

  “So what brought you to this unit anyway, Doctor?”

  “A chance, I suppose. A chance to pick up where Toshiro Yune left off.”

  Jade blinked. The mention of the man who had betrayed the Unit back in Zimbala caught her off guard. She’d heard Joe speak of Yune several times over the past year. He had vowed more than a few times to kill Toshiro Yune if they ever crossed paths again.

  Cairncross explained, “My team helped Toshiro design the Whisper suit. It was he that invited me in to aid in cracking the Code disc a year ago. I didn’t have the time then, I was working for British MI5, but when the General informed me of Toshiro’s betrayal, I had to make amends.”

  “Why?” Jade asked.

  “Yune was a member of my team. I trusted him. To make amends for his betrayal, I agreed to help the General for as long as he needed, or for as long as his line of funding held out.” He spoke the last sentence with a slight smirk.

  “Thanks for giving the team those new STF suits,” Jade said.

  “Oh, those? A simple gesture of good will. Where your people are going, they’ll need them.” Cairncross yawned, the long hours seeming to catch up with the Doctor. “Tell me something of yourself, Specialist. I need someone to keep me awake.”

  “Tell you what?”

  “Oh, I don’t know. Perhaps tell me what’s between you and that Braddock fellow.”

  Jade was surprised. How did he know? Of course, there were plenty of ways the Doctor could know about her and Joe, but she didn’t see how it was any of his business. She decided to humor him.

  “We’re seeing each other. Why?”

  “No reason. He seems like a good man.”

  “He is.”

  “I know I only met him for a few minutes, but something jumped out at me about him.”

  Jade raised an eyebrow, “What’s that?”

  “There is something rather…dark about that man. He seems different than the rest of your people here. It’s almost as if he doesn’t belong.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Don’t mind me. I’m not exactly a people person. But I try to think of myself as a decent judge of others. That man’s place is not here, that much I can see.”

  Jade frowned. She suddenly felt uncomfortable with the Doctor’s observations. Standing up, she said, “Well my shift is done. I just came here to tell you that we’re still on schedule to move the Code two days from now.”

  Cairncross shrugged, returning to his monitors, “I should be finished by then. Good night, Specialist.”

  Jade rolled her eyes. Bowser got up to follow his human friend out of the lab. As Jade was about to take her leave of the fastidious Doctor, her PDA beeped in her pocket. Fishing it out as she walked, she activated it.

  It was Joe.

  Her man’s face filled the screen. He looked tired, but more or less himself.

  “Hey, ladybird. How you been?”

  Jade smirked. She enjoyed it when he called her that. “Things are fine here. I heard about your tirade in Ca
racas last night. Remind me to not take you shopping with me when you get back.”

  Joe grinned, “Well, the good news is we’re close to finding Lennox. Tomorrow, we’re moving into the cloud forest. We think the Vagabonds’ main HQ is somewhere in the southern jungle of the country.”

  Jade knew a little something of that area of South America. She’d served there for a time in the UN Peacekeepers, during the height of the Columbian government’s asymmetric war against FARC.

  “Watch yourselves out there, Joe. You’re wandering into tough territory.”

  “I’ll be fine. Right now, there’s something I need you and the boys at Operations to do for us.”

  “Name it.”

  “It appears that Olympus has made a deal with Damien Sledge.”

  “The billionaire?”

  “Yep. Lennox is interested in the man’s activities in Venezuela. Get me all the info you can on Sledge’s business interests in the country over the past year. Locations of his factories, who he’s been dealing with—the works.”

  Jade nodded, “You got it. Stay safe out there, Joe. Try not to come home with another scar this time.”

  “I promise. How’ve you been doing?”

  “Alright. Talking with our new Doctor Who.”

  “Oh, Cairncross. How is he?”

  “Working with the Code, what else? Joe, there’s something—” she paused, wondering if she should tell him. Bowser looked up at her, sensing Jade’s unease.

  “What?” Joe asked.

  “Nothing. I’ll get on that intel about Sledge. Good luck tomorrow, huh?”

  “I love you, ladybird.”

  Jade smiled, “I…I’ll see you soon, Joe.”

  She shut off the PDA. The familiar queasy sensation wafted through her. She leaned against a table until it passed.

  Cairncross called out from his workstation, “Specialist, are you all right?”

  “Fine, Doctor. Good night.”

  She exited the lab into the cool autumn evening.

  Jade leaned against the wall of the R&D lab, watching her fellow Peacemakers doing late evening drills in the parade square. Bowser sauntered up beside her, his tongue lapping enthusiastically. She knelt down and gave him a scratch behind the ears.