by Mark Harritt
Mike turned to wave toward the women and children huddled at the opening of the caves, “How long before the shells start landing here. How many more women and children are going to be killed because of those bastards out there?”
Mike pointed at the two shuttles in the large clearing, “That is our only way out of here now. Every time they shoot another mortar round, we’re taking the chance that they aren’t going to hit the shuttles. If they hit those shuttles, it’s all over for us. We don’t have enough room on the big shuttle to put everybody on there. We can’t get everybody out in one trip. Once they see that shuttle take off, they’re going to throw everything they’ve got at us to make sure they kill us.
“Right now, it will take at least two trips to get the wounded and the women and children out of here, three for the elderly. Even if we cram everybody into the big shuttle, It’s going to take at least four trips to get everyone out. That’s three opportunities to target the shuttles with the mortars. I can take the smaller shuttle, a group of men, and we can go out there behind enemy lines and kill the bastards that are shooting at us.”
Mickey raised his hand to rub his temples, his hand covering his eyes as he thought about what Mike was proposing. He dropped his hand and looked at Mike, “Are you sure this isn’t about Jennifer?”
Instinctively, Mike’s hand came up and he jabbed his finger at Mickey. “You’re damn right it’s about Jennifer!” Mike snarled.
Mickey was startled by the unexpected outburst and the hatred in Mike’s eyes. Mike noticed Mickey’s reaction, and tempered his next words. He put his hand on Mickey’s shoulder, “Mickey, It’s about everybody, Jennifer, Everett, Murph, Joe, Bill, and anybody else that we’ve lost. Those mortars are going to find us, and when they hit the shuttles, we’ve lost everything. At least this way, we give the others a chance to get out of here.”
Mike’s hand dropped from Mickey’s shoulder, “We’ve beaten everything this fucking world has thrown at us. I refuse to give up now. Those bastards took Jennifer away from me.” Mike paused, and took in a deep, ragged breath as emotions warred for control, “We have to save as many families, as many women and children as we can.”
Mike looked at Mickey, and then looked over at Tom. Both of them were torn by the decision that Mike had made and was asking them to accept. He could see the angst on their faces, “I’m not asking for permission, guys. This is what I’m going to do. I can fly out there, or I can walk through that shit-storm back there.” Once again, Mike pointed back toward the intense shelling, “Either way, I’m going out there to stop those mortars.”
They both hesitated, and then Mickey spoke, “Okay, I’m in.”
“Me too,” Tom added.
Mike didn’t say a word; instead, he just stared at his his two friends.
Understanding dawned on their faces. Tom jabbed his finger at Mike, “Oh fuck no, Mike. You ain’t going out there without us. We’re a team. We stick together.”
Mike felt a wave of emotion wash over him. He wondered what, in his life, he’d done to deserve the trust and friendship of these great warriors. Tears sprang from his eyes, and he wiped them away with mud covered gloves, smearing dirt across his face.
“You can’t come with me.”
Mickey started shaking his head, “No Mike, I ain’t going to do it. I ain’t going to let you go out there alone.”
Mike pointed at the people around them, “Mickey, Tom, they need you more than I do. Somebody has to take care of them. Besides, you were right, this is a dangerous mission. And you have families to look after.”
Tom started to say something, but then stopped abruptly. Sudden comprehension lit his eyes. Tom and Mickey had families to worry about. Mike didn’t, not anymore, not with Jennifer gone. Tom turned his head and spat, like he had a bad taste in his mouth. Mickey stared at Mike. He wanted to say something, anything, to get Mike to change his mind about this, but he knew that Mike was right. If somebody didn’t take out the mortars, there was no way they’d be able to fight the soldiers coming for them.
Without the mortars, the enemy would have to come down that one canyon to get to them. They could keep the enemy pinned down, unable to force their way through. Without the mortars, they stood a good chance of getting everyone evacuated. With the mortars still out there, they could stop the enemy in their tracks, and the enemy would just reposition the mortars and pound them until everybody was dead.
There was only one solution that might work against the enemy. Mike had seen that from the beginning. Mickey had been blinded to the option because he knew it was probably a one-way trip. Once Mike was out there, he’d be swarmed by the enemy. But, there was a chance he might be able to silence the mortars. It was a plan. It wasn’t a great plan, but it was the only plan they had.
Finally, hating himself for doing so, Mickey nodded his head, “You’re right.”
Tom started to protest, “Wait a minute. You aren’t agreeing with him?”
Mickey looked at Tom, “You have to think about Latricia. I have to think about Tracy. Mike only has to worry about himself.”
Tom’s mouth shut quickly as Mickey’s implication sank in. Tom struggled internally for a moment, and then his shoulders slumped in acquiescence.
Mike took a deep breath. The hardest part was over, getting Mickey and Tom to let him do what needed to be done. He knew he’d have volunteers for the mission. That was never a worry. The men here would all volunteer if they thought there was a slim chance they could kill the men that had shattered their lives and murdered their friends and families.
“Okay, here’s what needs to happen after I go out in the small shuttle. You guys need to prep the large shuttle for movement. Put the wounded and the women and children on there. I have no doubt that, once the enemy sees the large shuttle taking off, they’re going to hit this place with everything they’ve got.
“There’s one problem with that, Mike. Where are we going to move them to?” Mickey asked.
“At first, it will have to be someplace close by, just so that we can get our people out of range. We’ll shuttle them there, then we’ll have to move them further away. Right now, until we can find a better location, I think we need to go back to the compound.”
Mike tried to forestall the outburst by holding up his hands. It didn’t work.
Tom’s finger was jabbing at Mike again, “We just came from there. We’d be in the same exact situation with that damn dragon trying to kill us.”
Mike motioned with his hands for Tom to calm down, “No Tom, not in the compound itself. You’re right about that. No, we’ve worked too hard to get the hell out of there just to go back. Instead, we move to the cliffs above the compound. Once we have everybody there, we scout for a better location, where we can find shelter and food.”
“What about all the stuff?”
Mike looked at Mickey, and shook his head, “We aren’t going to be able to take it with us. We won’t have time to get it all out of here. We have to lose all the tech. We’re going to have to lose the mechs also.”
Mickey frowned, “Those mechs saved our asses.”
Mike nodded, “And they keep us tied down as well. Hell, all of this shit does. We’ll have to go native.”
“I don’t know if that’s a good idea, Mike. They’ll find us and we’ll be in that fucking dungeon. Only there won’t be anybody to come and save us.”
Mike shrugged, “I don’t know what to tell you, Mickey. I’m just trying to keep everybody alive. I don’t know how the hell we’re going to get out of this. We just have to keep moving, try to stay ahead of the bad guys.”
“And all the critters that want us dead,” Tom pointed out.
Mike nodded, “That too. We’ll have to split into smaller groups so that we can stay hidden. I think the problem we had here was we thought that we could fight off whatever they threw at us. I made a mistake when I convinced everybody to attack their base of operations. I think hitting their compound put a big target on our back
. This Dostori Rev didn’t like it a bit.”
Mickey shook his head and leaned in, memories of the dungeon putting an evil look on his face, “They didn’t give us a choice, Mike, not when they were enslaving people. I’m glad we made the choice to go in there and save the villagers. Especially now that we know what they were doing to those people. And personally, I’m glad the Contai took their time killing them.”
Tom nodded, “It was the right thing to do. Even now, dealing with this shit, it was the right call to make.”
The three of them fell silent. The sound of explosions echoed off the mountains as they contemplated the road that brought them to their fate. Then, because he knew that time was short, Mike held out his hand. Tom looked down at the proffered hand for a moment, and realized that Mike was saying goodbye. Tom took the hand and gripped it tightly, holding Mike’s hand a little bit longer than usual. When Tom let go, Mike turned to Mickey and held his hand out to him. Mickey took the hand and pulled Mike into a hug. Finally, reluctantly, Mickey let go.
“Anything else we can do?” Tom asked as Mickey stepped back from Mike.
Mike shook his head, “No, you two were the easy part of this equation.”
Tom looked perplexed, “What do you mean?”
Mike grinned, “Now I have to talk Shar into flying me out there.”
Tom smiled. Mickey had a weak grin on his face.
Mike snapped his fingers, “Ah, I know. The SAWs, we’re going to need the SAWs.”
Tom nodded, “Yeah, we can do that. Not much ammunition left though. Maybe, just maybe, two hundred to three hundred rounds.”
“Better than nothing.”
Tom didn’t say anything.
Mickey spoke, “Mike, you have to go see Everett before you go.”
“Is he awake?”
Mickey shrugged, “I don’t know. All I know is, if you don’t go see him, and something happens to you, he’ll never forgive you.”
Mike started to say something glib, but then he thought better of it, “Okay, I’ll go see him right now. Could you see if you can get some volunteers to go with me?”
Mickey nodded.
Mike turned around and started toward the big shuttle. The bodies of the dead, the ones that Joel and Joan couldn’t save, lay outside, arranged in a long, neat line next to the shuttles. These were the ones that had been severely wounded by the shells. They hadn’t been killed outright. Instead they’d suffered, dying from their wounds as their families and friends who couldn’t save them, brought them to the doctors. Mothers, children, young men, the elderly, they were all there, close to a hundred of them. He saw familiar faces, people whose lives had been shattered due to the ego of one woman, the Dostori Rev. He almost wept when he saw the dull features of Doen, the old lady that Everett had taught to twerk on that one glorious, drunken night.
“Everything we’ve done, all for nothing,” Mike thought.
He approached the ramp, nodding at people he knew. People sat there in shock, holding the hands of the wounded, the dying. One man cried as he held the small, vulnerable body of his infant. Mike looked up into the shuttle. The interior was dark, and with all the dust and fog in the air, it was hard to see inside. He stepped onto the ramp, leaned forward, and walked up into the shuttle. His eyes adjusted slowly. The wounded were everywhere. Bandaged children stared at him with blank faces, some crying, some not. There was barely any room for him to move through the crowded shuttle. This was going to complicate evacuating everyone. They would have to pack the wounded in like cord wood so that they could put women and children in here with them.
Then he saw something that surprised him. Mitchem and Weitz were there, helping the wounded. Mike nodded at Mitchem who grudgingly returned the nod.
Balia and a few other women were there, holding bandaged children and telling stories to divert their attention. Mike nodded at Balia. She stared at him. He knew he looked frightening, wearing his battle armor, bloodied, muddied. The children stared at him with wide, frightened eyes. He did his best to smile and assure them, but they quickly turned away. Balia gave him one of her sad, gentle smiles and turned back to the children.
Joel was up, moving from patient to patient, doing whatever he could to make them comfortable. Mike saw Joan sitting on one of the jump benches, holding Everett’s hand. Everett’s face was ashen. Mike didn’t like the way he looked. Everett was covered in a blanket, but Mike could see that his leg was gone.
Joan saw him approach. She gently put Everett’s hand down, and stood up to greet him. She took two steps to him, put her arms around him and put her head on his chest, “Are you okay?”
Mike’s eyes teared, “Shouldn’t I be asking you that?”
Joan leaned away from him, looking up into his eyes, “I still have Everett.”
A lump grew in Mike’s throat. He didn’t have Jen. He nodded. He looked over at Everett, “How’s he doing?”
Joan let her arms fall from Mike’s waist. She stepped away from Mike, and looked back at Everett. She fell into the clinical routine of the doctor, “Mickey did a good job. The leg was shattered. There was no way it could be saved. He put on a tourniquet before he cut the leg off, so there was very little blood loss. Everett is a strong man. His pulse is steady, but it’s weak, possibly due to the high dosage of morphine we gave him.”
Then the doctor disappeared and the wife took her place. Joan’s face cratered. Mike caught her by the waist, and helped her to sit back down.
Joan took a ragged breath, “I don’t know. It’s all in the hands of God right now. There’s nothing else I can do.”
“I’m sorry, Joan.”
Joan gave Mike a weary glance, and then put her hand on his shoulder, “You’ve got to stop doing that, Mike. You carry the weight of the world on your shoulders. The world is the way it is. People are the way they are.” She motioned for him to move closer. He went down on one knee, and she placed her small hand in his heavy gauntlet. She patted his cheek with her other hand, “The world is too big a burden for any one man to bear, Mike.”
He closed his eyes, squeezing them tight, “I have to try.”
Joan stroked Mike’s face, “I know. That’s why Jennifer loved you.”
Tears streamed down Mike’s face. His voice choked up, “I have to go now.”
He opened his eyes to see Jean smiling at him. She gently pulled her hand out of his. She put her hands on either side of his head, and pulled him forward so that she could kiss the top of his head, “Go save the world, Mike.”
He nodded, and stood up. He looked over at Everett, wishing it was him lying there instead. He turned and walked back to the ramp. As he approached the top of the ramp, Matki appeared at the bottom. Matki waited until Mike walked to the bottom, “Mike, is it true, what I’ve heard? Jennifer, she is dead?”
Mike nodded, unable to speak.
Matki studied the weariness, the loss, on Mike’s face. He put his hand on Mike’s shoulder, “I am so sorry, Mike. Jennifer was a wonderful woman. She’ll be missed by all of us.”
Mike looked down at his friend, with a sad, gentle smile on his face, “yes, she will be.”
“Is it also true, you’re looking for volunteers?”
Mike nodded, “I am.”
Matki started, “I want to . . .”
Mike forestalled him by raising his hand, “Matki, I’m going to give you the truth. There is a very good chance that whoever I take with me isn’t coming back. We’re going to be attacking a superior force. I hope that their main body will be so invested in attacking us, here, that they just assume we’re trying to run away. There is a good chance, though, that we’ll be overwhelmed by the people we’re attacking. I’m taking young, unmarried warriors with me. Plus, you’re still having problems with your leg. I’m not going to let you volunteer for this mission.” Mike leaned closer to Matki, “Besides, your people need you as well. I can’t let Joacar take over. You’re the only one with enough prestige to keep him from doing something stupid.”
Matki hesitated before he nodded his head, “Okay Mike, I understand. I don’t like it, but I understand. How many men are you going to take?”
“I want to take forty, as many as I can stuff into the small shuttle.”
“Have you talked to Shar about this?”
Mike shook his head, “I’m going over there now.” He looked at Matki, “Matki, you can help me by finding volunteers. Get with Mickey. He’s getting the mission ready.”
Matki held his hand out to Mike, “I don’t think there will be a problem finding volunteers. The problem will be turning away all the ones that aren’t selected for the mission.”
Mike reached out and took Matki’s hand. They shook hands. Matki patted him on the arm and then let go, his arm dropping to his side. Mike turned toward the smaller shuttle. Shar, Daijj, and the two techs roomed in the small shuttle, so He was startled to see all four sitting outside. He figured he’d have to go in and roust them out. Shar waved as Mike walked toward him. Mike waved back and nodded at the other three. They nodded and greeted him.
Being around Shar had gotten easier over the months that he’d known him. Watching Shar’s throat pouch expand and then get smaller with the rhythm of his breathing was still disconcerting, though. It was even worse with the other three to contend with as well. Mike pictured bull frogs whenever he was around them.
Mike started to speak, but Shar beat him to it, “So you,” he said, pointing at Mike, “want me,” Shar pointed at himself, “to fly you past that?” He finished by pointing out toward the exploding mortar shells.
Mike nodded. Shar had put things rather succinctly. Now, Mike needed to feel out Shar’s inclinations to see what kind of pressure he needed to apply, “That about sums it up.”
Mike could see the calculations running through Shar’s mind. He was surprised when he didn’t get any push back.
Shar nodded, “Okay, I can do that.
“That was easy,” Mike pointed out.
Shar shrugged. He inclined his head toward the barrage, “That will get here soon. We can’t stay here. I’ll drop you off. If I can, when you call me, I’ll try to pick you up again.”