Termination

by J C Ryan

  Chicago, Illinois midnight CST

  “LIEUTENANT WALKER, YANKEE 2 reports all the soldiers are gathered in one room,” said a small woman dressed so that she was almost undisguisable from her dark surroundings.

  “Activate the device,” Walker ordered. He had started to rise and head toward the house when the woman’s husky voice stopped him.

  “Yankee 2 reports no effect; they are continuing to move to the outside; they’re coming out the door now.”

  Walker could see the soldiers with his own eyes. “What the hell happened? Why aren’t they dead?”

  “The device must have malfunctioned, sir,” she replied.

  “Yankee 1, Yankee 2, is the backup device ready to go?”

  “Yankee 2, Yankee 1, confirmed, but it won’t do any good now.”

  Watching the soldiers as they approached their van, Walker asked, “Can you get it in the car with them?”

  “Already on it, sir. Stand by.”

  Walker watched in dismay as each soldier entered the van and closed the door.

  “Fly and Spyder are in,” Yankee 2 reported just as the van’s engine started.

  Walker reached for the second activation device and flipped the switch. This time, he was rewarded by seeing the occupants of the vehicle slump and remain still.

  “Gottem,” he stated softly. “Let’s get this mess cleaned up and get out of here.”

  * * *

  Phoenix, Arizona 11:00 pm MST Team Two

  DESZIK BRACED HIMSELF and hung on to the grab handles in the SUV. His teammate, Alex, a no-nonsense woman retired from the Marines, sped through the streets of Phoenix, tires squealing as she slid the vehicle around corners, sparks flying against the pavement when the vehicle hit the ground after ‘jumping’ a dip in the road. He had been told she was an excellent sniper who ‘never missed,’ but he hadn’t expected her to be such an accomplished driver.

  Like the soldiers observed by team one, the soldiers they were assigned to eliminate were ready to go when team two reached the house. Unlike team one though, they had already held their final briefing hours before the EMP devices could be slipped into the house and were in the process of leaving when the team arrived.

  Having parked five blocks away, it had taken them time to return to their vehicle, and now they raced for the site, hoping they could stop the Re’an before they could set off another explosion that would kill many.

  Deszik felt his side of the car lift from the pavement as they flew around yet another corner, and his grip tightened on the bar to hold himself in place.

  “Almost there,” Alex informed him loudly over the racing engine and squealing tires.

  She’d barely finished speaking when she brought the vehicle to a screeching stop and exited it in one fluid motion, rifle in hand.

  Deszik quickly left the SUV and set off at a run to catch up with her. “Where are they,” he asked, looking around the residential area.

  “Two blocks ahead and one to the right,” she replied without slowing her pace.

  Within minutes, they were hidden in the foliage of a yard across the street from the Peaceful Healing drug and alcohol rehabilitation center.

  “I don’t see anything,” she said.

  “Me neither.”

  “Let’s split up and move around to the back.”

  Deszik agreed, and they set off on their own.

  “Keep your comm open,” she threw back over her shoulder as she moved away.

  Moving carefully but quickly, Deszik reached the side of the building and paused to look back over the front of the building he just left; still nothing.

  Where are they?

  Just then he heard a brief, high-pitched whine that signaled the firing of an Eighth Cycle weapon. Before he had time to wonder who fired it, Alex’s voice came over the comm link.

  “Be ready,” I got one of them, and the other four scattered in your direction. Following.”

  He had only taken two steps when the first of the four soldiers rounded the corner, followed closely by a second.

  They saw him, but before they could react, he lifted his weapon and fired twice in rapid succession. Both soldiers fell.

  He saw a third soldier and fired again, but the soldier pulled back behind the building.

  Running up to the edge of the building, Deszik peered quickly around the corner. The two remaining soldiers were caught between him and Alex, and he heard them exchanging fire.

  Checking the location of the soldiers again, he noted that one was closer and had his back turned to him.

  Ducking around the corner, Deszik barreled toward the soldier crouching behind a short brick wall.

  Sensing the attack, the soldier spun and fired at Deszik hitting him square in the chest.

  The shot knocked Deszik to the ground, forcing the air from his lungs and the weapon from his hand.

  Momentarily stunned, he lay still trying to breathe. The soldier, thinking he had killed a man from the 21st Century, turned his attention back to Alex and fired a shot that missed but toppled the equipment she was using for cover on top of her.

  Deszik quickly got to his feet and launched himself at the soldier. The force of impact took them both to the ground. Trained in hand-to-hand combat, Deszik grabbed the man’s head and gave a sharp twist and upward pull, breaking his neck.

  As he dropped the body, another shot glanced off his arm. He fired a shot and the fourth soldier was no more.

  Climbing to his feet, Deszik took aim and vaporized the dead soldier, then turned to help Alex who was struggling out from under the equipment that had fallen on her.

  * * *

  Phoenix, Arizona 11:05 pm MST Team One

  AS SOON AS he saw the tall man jump, Jack knew something was wrong. His gut told him things had just gone to hell in a handbasket, and Jack trusted his gut above all other information.

  Forgetting his pain, Jack burst through the brush along the tree line, just as he saw the man fly over the couch and out of the target zone.

  Pushing himself to the limit, Jack sped across the back yard. Looks like I’m going to get to inflict some damage after all, he thought. Giving a primal yell as he reached the glass door, he used his last step to propel himself through the glass and into the Re’an soldier.

  Jack rolled, coming up in a fighting stance, ready to take on the Re’an.

  “You are either braver or stupider than I expected,” Commander Ruslan said to Jack. “I think stupider.”

  “Think what you want,” Jack retorted with a quick movement that ended with his weapon shattering on the Re’an body armor.

  “Stupider,” Ruslan yelled as he spun, his foot connecting with Jack’s ribs knocking him to the floor.

  Gasping for breath, Jack lunged, hitting his rival in the knees, throwing him off balance.

  The tall man fell to the floor, and Jack threw himself on top, but the soldier rolled to his side and Jack slipped to the floor. Flipping over quickly, he whipped his arm around the soldiers’ neck securing it in a chokehold.

  He felt a vice-like grip on his arm, then the soldier leaned forward, pulling him forward with a twist guaranteed to break bones. His shoulder gave a strange pull followed by a numbing, burning sensation, and his arm came loose from the soldiers’ neck with a stabbing feeling. Jack’s head snapped backward with a punishing force, and he saw stars when his chin took the impact from an armor covered knee.

  As he fell limply to the floor, he heard men’s voices shouting around him. He tried to get up but felt the pressure of a hand on his back and a voice, Eric’s voice saying, “Stay down, Jack. You're badly injured.”

  “I’m fine, I gotta get that guy,” Jack said angrily, then hissed in pain as he drew a breath.

  “You’re a long way from fine, buddy,” Eric said and held his bloody hand so Jack could see it. “That’s not from your bloody nose, by the way, it’s from your side; your ribs are sticking through your skin.”

  Jack groaned. “If I don’t die, Rebec
ca’s gonna kill me.”

  “Probably,” agreed Eric. “Just stay still, we’ll get you out of here.”

  “But what about the tall guy?”

  “He’s gone along with one of his soldiers. But don’t worry, the rest of the team has gone after them.”

  Jack groaned and knew no more.

  * * *

  “ALL THE REPORTS are in, Mister President,” Dennis said. “With a few exceptions, everything went as planned, and the Re’an soldiers have been eliminated.”

  Daniel frowned. “What exceptions?”

  Dennis gave Daniel a brief synopsis of what had happened with the four teams that had had problems.

  “Did any of the Re’an get away?”

  It was the one question Dennis had hoped Daniel wouldn’t ask. He sighed. “Four of the soldiers got away. Two in Phoenix, one in New York, and one in Chicago.”

  Dennis didn’t apologize. His teams knew their jobs and were especially good at them; they were not to blame. Sometimes things went wrong.

  “I was hoping we would avoid that scenario,” Daniel said. “Did we lose any of our team members?”

  “No, sir. There were some injuries to those at the sites where the four escaped, but no deaths.” Yet, he thought. He wasn’t sure if Jack would survive his injuries, and if he did, if he would survive Rebecca’s wrath. Being on a conference call several hundred miles apart had done nothing to shield him from her reaction. I’ve seen riled up mother grizzly bears that couldn’t compare to her anger when she heard Jack was being brought in severely injured.

  “That’s good to hear!” Daniel said. “Very good. What are your plans for dealing with the escapees?”

  “Dekka, Roy, and Raj are working on ways to locate them. Depending on where they are, we will plan accordingly for dispatching them.”

  “I thought we could already track them?” Daniel asked, confused.

  Dennis sighed heavily as Raj stepped up beside him. “Mister President, Daniel,” Raj said. “We were able to trace them because they were in close proximity to the equipment. It appears that they have moved out of range. We’re working on ways to locate them and will let you know as soon as we have an answer.”

  Daniel gave a slight shake of his head and sighed heavily. “Just do your best.” Then he added with a slight smile and a wink, “and be quick about it too!”

  Smiling back, Raj replied, “You got it!”

  “Rebecca!” Daniel acknowledged when he saw her step into sight at the command center in Phoenix. “How is Jack?” he asked with concern.

  “Alive, barely,” she growled.

  Roy stepped hesitantly toward the monitor and asked softly, “How bad is he?”

  Crossing her arms and still glaring, Rebecca answered, “He has four broken ribs on his left side and six on the right, three from his original injury and the rest from today. One of the ribs on the left is close to the heart and will kill him if it shifts before we can repair the damage. Two ribs on the right have punctured his right lung. His arm and shoulder are broken, along with two vertebrae in his neck, and he has a severe concussion, not to mention his internal bleeding and having glass embedded in his skin.”

  Roy hung his head. “I am truly sorry,” he apologized.

  “Save it for Jack, he’s the one you nearly killed.”

  “So, he will live?”

  “The next 24 hours will determine that. He’s a very strong individual, but he has recently been taken to the point of death twice. Every body has its limits, and his has been pushed too far – way too far. We are having trouble stabilizing him. He’s in surgery as we speak. They’re trying to stop the internal bleeding and then will work on getting the broken ribs away from his heart and lungs. Once he’s out of surgery, if he remains stable for a 24-hour period, I’ll take him back to the canyon; the Eighth Cycle technology can help him recover much faster, although now that I think about it, a long convalescence would serve him right.”

  At the back of the control room, JR heard every word of the exchange and deeply regretted letting Jack sneak off. Keeping his eyes focused on the monitor before him, he didn’t look up to face Rebecca; he would deal with her later, and in person.

  As the conference calls ended, Korda entered the room with evident enthusiasm. “Excuse me!” Korda’s voice cut through the silent aftermath of Rebecca’s report. “In anticipation of victory, I have prepared a feast to celebrate! If everyone will join me in the kitchen, we can continue the celebration with a real party!”

  A brief lull followed. When the silence continued, Korda’s excitement began to fade, and he began to frown wondering what he’d done wrong. Then whispers of surprised appreciation floated across the room. “Well, what are we waiting for? Let’s party!” JR shouted.

  His energy rekindled, Korda broke out into a grin. “This way folks!” he said heading for the door.

  Enthusiastic voices responded as they all began to vacate the control room. Korda, happily, led the way.

  “C’mon, buddy,” said JR, attempting to haul Robert out of his chair. “You’re not missing this!”

  Robert said, “I’ll be there in a few minutes.”

  “No, you won’t; you’ve had your eyes and ass glued to that spot for the last 18 hours. If I don’t make you leave, you’ll still be there when doomsday comes.” JR laughed.

  “It may be closer than you think,” Robert said softly.

  JR frowned. “What’s that?”

  Realizing that JR wasn’t going to relent this time, Robert got up, stiffly. I have been sitting there too long! He made a show of stretching and said, “Nothing, I’m coming.”

  JR paused briefly, looking at his friend with a peculiar expression.

  “What?” Robert said. “I thought I heard someone say something about a party; let’s go find it!” and headed for the door.

  Glancing at the information still scrolling on Robert’s monitor, JR gave a shrug. “Guess it isn’t important,” and he followed Robert.

  * * *

  IN THE COOL of the desert night, two figures made their way carefully, silently toward the Superstition Mountains due east of Phoenix. The glow of sunrise was just beginning to reveal the high, jagged rocks where they would conceal themselves while they planned their next move.

  The stench of dried urine, old rat turds, unclean bodies, and mold assaulted the man’s nose as he entered the old, long abandoned tenement building. Covering his mouth, he stepped over a snoring body on the floor and began to climb the stairs, jumping the ones whose treads were missing. I wonder if any of the others survived? He would settle in at the top of the building and consider the possibilities of how he might contact them if there were any.

  Scurrying from his hiding place, a man sprinted along the New York City train track to catch the moving train. Grabbing hold of a stair rail, he hauled himself up and into the empty boxcar. He didn’t care where the train was going, he just needed time to regroup, to think, and to get out of the crowded city. What the hell had happened?

  EPILOG

  THE FEAST WAS truly delicious, and they talked late into the night. Eleven hundred miles to the northwest, pressure began building beneath the mountains of Washington, and a small unnoticed earthquake rolled through northern California.

  Late that night, as the celebration raged on, Robert slipped out to sit alone in the control room. His eyes focused on monitoring the AVO sites, he listened to the last of the incoming reports from Tectus teams returning to base.

  He had been interested by some of the AVO readings and returned to satisfy his curiosity. He was now troubled.

  The AVO equipment was recording major activity beneath the Kanga Stratovolcano at the northern corner of Kanga Island and steadily increasing seismic activity beneath Pavlof, another stratovolcano on the high northeast flank of the Emmons Lake Caldera.

  The two volcanoes between Kanga and Pavlof, Bogoslof and Cleveland, were unmonitored seismically, but he suspected they were experiencing similar activity.
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  Alaska’s mainland volcanoes, mounts Trident, Snowy, Katmai, Augustine, Redoubt, and Spurr were showing a minor increase in pressure. The readings also indicated an increase in minor earthquake activity along the Explorer Plate west of British Columbia.

  Robert pulled a map from one of the file cabinets and began carefully marking the locations of the AVO equipment and the events they were recording.

  When his task was complete, he stood back for an overall view of the map. He took a deep breath, let it out, then marked the location of the new volcano at the Tunguska site and the location the USS Montana, aka Trepang, had been lost.

  After looking at all the information, Robert sat down heavily and rested his head in his hands, massaging his temples. How is this possible? This is not good, not good at all.

  Urgent beeping from one of the monitoring stations brought his head up abruptly. Quickly accessing a satellite view of the area indicated, he stared in astonishment watching a bloom obscure the area.

  Twenty-six hundred miles away, at AVO Fairbanks, Andrew Smyth and Bud Winthrop watched open-mouthed as monitoring cameras recorded the unexpectedly violent eruption of the Kanga volcano.

  “Thank god that is an isolated area,” Bud said.

  “No kidding,” Andrew agreed. “I didn’t think Kanga was prone to events of that magnitude.”

  “She’s not,” Bud said and added slowly, “this is the first event of this magnitude in her known history.”

  For the next half-hour, they watched in fascinated silence the destructive capability of Mother Nature. Neither of them noticed the triangular monitoring signal at Bogoslof turn red, warning of an imminent eruption, or the orange triangle at Cleveland beginning to glow indicating escalating activity.

  Finally, Andrew pulled his eyes away from the screen. “Bud! Look at this!” Andrew cried pointing to the red and orange triangles. “This looks as if a major event is brewing.”

  “Could be,” Bud replied, not liking the readings he was seeing. “I just don’t see how this is possible! That new Tunguska volcano can’t be responsible. I don’t know what caused it, probably some Russian weapons experiment gone wrong, but it isn’t part of the Pacific Ring of Fire, so it shouldn’t be affecting any of what we’re seeing.”