by Lucas Marcum
“Shit.” Acevedo risked a look over the edge of the embankment. She pulled her head back down. “The hospital is still being built. Everyone’s still out in the open.”
“Goddamn that fucking prick Panico. They should be taking cover!” O’Malley swore. He flinched at another roar. This one was different from the artillery in the distance. This one was similar to before and sounded extremely close.
“I don’t think that’s outside the perimeter,” Private Henderson observed laconically.
“No shit,” Sergeant Acevedo replied sourly. “Sir, we gotta get moving. Our guys are waiting.” She stood and tried to climb the steep embankment, but she was too short to get her leg over it. With a ferocious scowl, she tapped Williams on the shoulder. The deaf private turned and, seeing her making the ‘hand’s locked’ motion and pointing up, nodded cheerfully, laced his fingers together, and laid his back against the wall.
As Acevedo put her boot in his hands, Williams’ face changed, and his eyes widened. He suddenly let go, spilling Acevedo into the mud. As she fell, Williams grabbed the soldiers to either side of him and dove forward, covering his head with his hands. A ground-shaking roar came from right above them, causing the soldiers to clamp their hands to their ears in pain. Sudden gusts of wind buffeted them repeatedly, churning the surface of the small lake into choppy waves. O’Malley rolled over and looked up. For a moment he was puzzled, wondering why he could no longer see the sky, then he realized he was staring up at the scaled underside of an enormous dragon.
There was a sudden low hiss, then a deafening roar like a jet engine, followed by a wave of immense heat that washed over them. A cacophony of high-pitched screams was clearly audible for a split second, then faded into the roar of flames as the heat grew even more intense. O’Malley rolled over, face down in the mud, and covered his face with his hands. The hiss stopped, then came the roar over and over, again with the same unbearable heat. A split second later, the air buffeting intensified, then stopped. Several yards away, Acevedo looked up and saw an armored figure on the back of the massive dragon. It was clad in exquisitely crafted plate armor the color of polished ebony, and it had silvery hair hanging to its shoulders. There was a slim sword at the figure’s side. As she stared, the figure looked over and down at her. It was a man, with perfect features, flawless skin, and delicately pointed ears. He wore a simple silver circlet with a single red jewel on his head. He smiled at Acevedo, and she felt her blood run cold. The physical beauty of the man belied the icy look in his eyes and the cruel, callous smile. He nodded to her once, then pulled the reins. The dragon’s powerful wings buffeted them again, then it vanished as it rose into the sky overhead.
From where he lay, face down in the mud, O’Malley risked a look up just in time to see a body hurtling over the embankment, propelled by another. The second figure’s back was bright with flame. The figure landed and promptly rolled in the mud, extinguishing the flames. It then rolled over and spat out a mouthful of muddy water. He was covered head to toe in thick, brown mud.
“Motherfucker. These OCPs were new!” The man coughed hard. The first figure sat up and looked around, dazed. She pulled her helmet off and looked at it. She then dropped it, fell onto her hands and knees, and threw up. O’Malley looked at the two new arrivals, then at Acevedo, who was picking herself up out of the mud. She tapped Williams and pointed at her eyes, then at him, then up. The soldier nodded and picked himself up. Tall enough to see above the steep bank, he peered over cautiously. A few seconds later, he crouched down and shook his head. One look at his eyes told O’Malley everything he needed to know.
Acevedo nodded and patted the man’s knee. The mud-covered soldier suddenly got to his knees and said, “Sergeant Acevedo? Holy shit!”
Peering at the man, Acevedo’s eyes widened. “Ewart? What are you doing here?”
With a lopsided grin, Ewart replied, “Looking for you two. We’d heard you were coming in, and I wanted to warn you about Colonel Dicknose.” His grin faded. “I guess we don’t have to worry about him anymore.”
The officer turned his attention to the other soldier, who was sitting on her backside in the mud with her legs splayed out, like a child. “You ok?”
The woman looked at him blankly. O’Malley moved closer and shook her gently. “Hey. Are you ok?” He wiped the mud off her nametape, noticing that she was missing the rank patch in the middle of her chest. The nametape read ‘Suarez’. O’Malley gently asked again, “Hey. What’s your name?”
Finally focusing on him, she replied, “Elizabeth. My name is Elizabeth.”
“You ok, Elizabeth?” O’Malley asked. “You hurt?”
“I don’t…I don’t think so.” She looked up. “Are they…”
He nodded silently. The older woman’s mouth twisted for a moment, then she reached for her helmet. Finding it half full of water, she dumped it out, set it firmly on her head, and fastened the chin strap. She looked at O’Malley and demanded, “Who are you?”
O’Malley looked at Acevedo, then replied, “I’m Captain O’Malley. I’m the security detail commander.” He looked up at the wall. “I was, I guess. I don’t really know what’s going on now.”
“So you know about Regular Army stuff? Fighting and shooting and infantry shit?” Her voice had taken on a clear, commanding tone.
“Yeah, I guess…” O’Malley replied, confused. He shot a look at Acevedo, who just shrugged.
“Good. I’m Lieutenant Colonel Suarez. I’m a general surgeon, assigned to the 912th Forward Surgical Team.” She reached for the pistol lying next to her. Seeing it covered in mud, she grimaced, wiped it off, and replaced it in her holster. “I’ll keep you alive if you get hurt, and you’re going to get us the hell out of here.” She worked her way to her feet and looked at him impatiently. “We need to move, Captain. Those guys in the black armor will be here any minute. They always show up after the dragons.”
O’Malley stood up and picked up his rifle, then helped Acevedo to her feet and took stock of his little group. Himself, a junior sergeant, two specialists, two privates—one who happened to be completely deaf—and a very insistent lieutenant colonel with little to no combat training. He frowned, then reached for the radio. Giving it a shake, he flicked the switch on and off several times. It crackled and spat, then words swelled through the static. “Broken Arrow. Broken Arrow. Condition: IRON MOUNTAIN. Repeat, IRON MOUNTAIN. Repeat—All units in range, Broken Arrow…”
Acevedo picked up the code book from the mud. She wiped the cover off and thumbed through it. After a second, she said flatly, “Broken Arrow is the code for ‘garrison is overrun’. ‘Iron Mountain’ means to fall back to the pre-prepared defensive positions in the mountains.” She looked up. “Where are the fallback positions, sir?”
“No idea,” O’Malley replied. There was another roar in the distance, and the jet engine noise again. He looked at Acevedo and said, “But we clearly can’t stay here. West?”
Acevedo stuffed the code book inside her body armor. She traded a glance with O’Malley, then shrugged. “Why not? It’s not like I have any better ideas.” She looked at the soldiers. “On your feet, people. Let’s get the fuck out of here.” Shading her eyes, she looked left and right down the muddy shoreline, then pointed. “We can follow the shoreline here, then get up and see if our guys are still in the tree line. From there, I guess we head for the hills.” She gestured hesitantly at the retaining wall and asked, “Is there any point in looking for survivors?”
O’Malley shook his head silently. He reached down and helped Suarez to her feet. She nodded her thanks. He looked at Ewart. “You’re in the rear. Keep an eye on him; he’s deaf from a grenade.” He jerked a thumb at Williams.
Ewart nodded and wiped mud off his face. “You got it, sir.” He picked up his rifle and chambered a round.
O’Malley looked at Acevedo and said simply, “Ok, Sergeant. Lead off. Keep your eyes peeled for a vehicle.”
The petite sergeant nodded and turned
without a word. Hugging the retaining wall of the lake, she moved as quickly as the mud would allow. The rest of the battered group followed her. About 100 yards down the shore, they reached a point where the water reached the wall. Acevedo stopped and gestured up. The next soldier in line, Specialist Beck, nodded, laced her fingers together, and put her back against the wall. Acevedo slung her rifle and, stepping into Beck’s hands, boosted herself up over the wall. There was a gasp, then silence. The rest of the soldiers followed rapidly. O’Malley was second to last. Ewart, being taller, boosted the officer up. O’Malley rolled onto the hard-packed dirt, reached down for Ewart’s hand, and hauled him up. The big soldier came up in a rush and landed on top of O’Malley. After moment of untangling, O’Malley sat up and froze in shock.
Where the hundreds of soldiers and the partially constructed field hospital had stood was a tangled, blackened mass of flame and wreckage. Burning tents, shipping containers, and crates transformed the clearing that had minutes before been full of soldiers and equipment into a burning hellscape. Here and there a blackened mass lay on the ground, barely recognizable as human. The only thing that set them apart from the wreckage around them was the distinctive shapes of combat helmets, distorted body armor, and partially burned khaki boots. The deformed remains lay scattered all around the clearing, where they’d been cut down by the flames as they ran.
There was an eerie silence, punctuated only by the crackling of flames and the occasional pop as a container burst, or some item collapsed within the wreckage of the hospital. Beyond the hospital, the patch of forest where the soldiers from the doomed hospital were supposed to have taken refuge stood, now rose a towering wall of flame. The soldiers stood in silence for a moment, staring at the flames and the blackened, smoldering bodies for a long time. No one spoke or moved. In the distance, there was a sudden rattle of gunfire and several explosions, then a storm of weapons firing.
Startled into motion, O’Malley looked at Acevedo. She nodded and snapped, “Let’s go, people. We have to get out of here before the bad guys get here.” She turned her back on the burned remains of the hospital and made her way towards the overgrown, cracked asphalt road they’d come down what seemed like moments before.
Reaching the main road, Acevedo stopped, knelt, and held up a fist. The small group stopped and took a knee. The gunfire in the distance had slacked off considerably, but firing could still be heard. Acevedo cocked her head, listening, then pointed up. A split second later, two fighters roared overhead, moving too low and fast to see clearly. A few seconds later, there was the rippling crackle of munitions exploding, and the ground trembled under their feet.
From behind him, someone muttered, “What the fuck was that?”
“Cluster munitions,” O’Malley replied without turning. He called out to the sergeant, “Too close. Let’s go!” Acevedo nodded and stood. As she did, a Humvee came around the corner 50 yards away at high speed. Acevedo held up a hand, but the vehicle didn’t even slow, just blew right past them. A second Humvee appeared, followed closely by an old five-ton truck that also didn’t slow for the petite sergeant waving.
“What the FUCK!” she screamed at the disappearing vehicles. Then came the noise of more engines coming from down the road.
From behind O’Malley, he could hear Ewart mutter, “Ok. This is stupid.” Slapping Williams’ shoulder and grabbing Harris’ plate carrier to get their attention, he walked into the middle of the road and took up a firm stance with his rifle at the low ready. Williams and Harris stood off to either side and took the same posture. Another five-ton truck rounded the corner, also moving quickly. Seeing the soldiers in the road, the driver let his foot off the gas, then hit the accelerator again. Ewart didn’t move, only raised his rifle, and pointed it at the oncoming vehicle. The driver aimed directly at him and continued to accelerate. The tall specialist didn’t flinch. At the last possible second, the driver hit the brakes, and the truck slid to a grinding halt, stopping several feet in front of the soldier.
Without taking his eyes off the driver or moving his rifle barrel, the specialist called calmly, “Sir, you’re up.”
O’Malley walked over to the truck as a fat staff sergeant leapt out of the passenger’s side and swore at Ewart. “What the fuck do you think you’re doing, specialist? We have orders to get out of this AO, and you’re pointing fucking weapons at us? I could have you shot!”
“Sergeant, I’m Captain O’Malley,” O’Malley said in a firm tone. “You’re going to give us a ride to the fallback point.”
“The hell I am. We don’t have the space, and we were ordered to remove these sensitive items from the corps level HQ,” the man snapped back. He was sweating profusely, his neck and collar stained dark, and he wasn’t wearing a helmet.
“I don’t give a shit,” O’Malley replied bluntly. “See that?” He pointed at the column of smoke and flame rising behind them. “That was the field hospital. Every single person in it is dead, save a single surgeon, and we need to get her and ourselves the fuck out of here.”
“Find your own ride. The main line of resistance is broken, those things are coming, and we don’t have the room,” the staff sergeant replied. “Now get the fuck out of the way. We have to get these to the newly reforming corps headquarters in the mountains.” He made it as if to push his way past O’Malley.
“Stop right the fuck there.” The ominous click of a weapon safety disengaging sounded. Acevedo stood behind the sergeant with her pistol pressed to the base of the man’s skull. “Listen here, you fat fuck. We’re getting in the truck. Cooperate, and you can come with us. Don’t, and I’ll leave you here to become dragonshit. Either way, we’re taking this vehicle.”
The man froze, then spluttered, “How…You can’t…This is…ILLEGAL! You’ll be SHOT for this!”
“No. Disobeying a direct order from the ranking officer present is illegal. It’s also pissing me off. Now move your fat ass to the back of the truck.” The tiny woman prodded the sergeant with the muzzle of her pistol. “Now.”
There was a low, rippling explosion again, this one much closer. The gunfire had slowed down to single shots, with an occasional burst here and there. Another Humvee came tearing around the corner, swerved around the stopped truck without slowing, and disappeared down the road. Acevedo marched the man to the back of the truck. At her impatient gesture, he worked the gate open. Inside were dozens of laptop computers tossed haphazardly in the back. Mixed with the computers were fax machines, file cabinets spilling paper, and cardboard boxes filled with various office items. Among them, a female soldier lay motionless. The front of her uniform and both her hands were stained dark with blood, and she wasn’t moving. Next to her lay a patrol cap with the single gold bar of a second lieutenant. In her hand, she limply clutched a blood-soaked field dressing.
Acevedo took one look at the motionless soldier and yelled, “Doc!”
Colonel Suarez came running to the rear of the truck. Seeing the soldier, she climbed up into the truck and leaned over the woman. She peered closely at the young woman’s face and grasped her wrist. She felt it for a few seconds, then dug her knuckles into the woman’s breastbone. She peered into the woman’s eyes, peeling her eyelid back with a finger. Sitting back on her knees, she looked at Acevedo and said simply, “Sorry, Sergeant. She’s dead. Looks like she bled to death.”
The staff sergeant stuttered, “She said she’d be ok by herself. We didn’t…I didn’t…”
Acevedo’s eyes narrowed, and she turned in a fury to the sergeant and raised her pistol. “You fucking worthless piece of…” She took aim at the man’s head and pulled the slide, chambering a round and screamed, “She died alone back there!” The staff sergeant babbled incoherently in fear, pleading at the look in her eyes.
O’Malley, having come around the truck, gently put his hand on the pistol and lowered the barrel. “Olivia,” he said gently, She jerked her eyes to him. “He’s not worth it.”
The young woman trembled in fury for
several seconds, then lowered the hammer on the pistol, her chest heaving as she tried to control her breathing. The fat man slumped in relief, falling into a sitting position on the rough asphalt. Acevedo looked at him disgustedly. The front of his uniform pants was stained dark with urine. She gestured to the side of the road and snapped, “Sit there.” She raised her voice. “Ewart, is the driver ok?”
Ewart’s voice came back, “Yes, Sergeant. Just a shit-terrified private. He’s fine.”
“Good. Put Henderson at the wheel. Send Beck and Williams back here to push this shit out of the truck.”
Acevedo turned to O’Malley. “You and I will cram in up front. Ewart can hold it down back here. We need to get moving.” As she spoke, Beck and Williams climbed into the truck rapidly throwing the assorted office equipment out and onto the ground. In a matter of moments, the rear of the truck was partially clear.
Acevedo snapped, “Enough! Everyone, get in…” She broke off mid-sentence. A bone-chilling howl came down the road behind them from the direction the trucks had come. The group held stock still for a split second, then the howl came again, this time even closer.
O’Malley ordered, “Load up!” He looked at the fat staff sergeant, who’d struggled to his knees and was staring at the tree line.
Pointing at the man, Acevedo asked, “What about fatso?”
“Bring him. He’s a shit, but he’s still one of us,” O’Malley replied. “Come on, let’s go!” Ewart came bounding around the truck and opened his mouth to speak, then yelled, “Holy shit!” He pointed down the road.
Snapping his head around, O’Malley saw four black armored figures on what looked like huge wolves round the corner. They covered the ground in a fast lope, moving almost as fast as the Humvees. One of them raised something and pointed it in their direction. The fat sergeant tried to rise to his feet, then suddenly stumbled, clutching the stubby quarrel that sprouted from his neck. Blood welled out, and he sank to his knees, choking on the red froth that spewed from his mouth. He fell facedown and didn’t move.