The Last Spartan: Different Paths

by A. E. McCullough

  DJ stopped in his tracks. “You call that easy?”

  Shaking his head, Iaido moved to the galley to fix himself some coffee. “Not really but given our current speed and rate of descent we should arrive over New Atlanta with about fifty minutes to spare and over sixteen different locations mentioned in the Major’s files. Not to mention, that there is still a warrant for my arrest and the Galactic Marshals stationed in the area will certainly be hunting us.”

  Grabbing a beer from the cooler, DJ raised an eyebrow and decided to play the Devil’s Advocate. “What is the worst case scenario if we are too late?”

  Talia chimed in. “According to the data we recovered from the Praetorian’s files, the virus needs a living host to fully mature. Those that aren’t dead immediately from the explosions will certainly be infected with the virus, as will any first responders who arrive to help. Basically, for the first two stages of the virus’ life it is a blood-born pathogen. However, when the virus reaches stage three, the host explodes propelling the virus into the air.”

  “Explodes?”

  Talia nodded as she punched up some video records.

  “Stage one is very subtle and can last from three to ten days. Subjects infected begin with a slight fever and become increasingly paranoid. Once the subject’s fever reaches one hundred and four point three degrees, they enter into stage two which will last for exactly seven days, almost to the hour. During this phase the infected subjects display increased strength coupled with an uncontrollable rage fueled by vivid hallucinations. One common trait is an unquenchable thirst for blood which lasts until they explode, killing the subject and spreading the virus. According to the files, once a subject reaches stage two there is no known cure. Only the death of the subject will stop the spread of the virus which was the reason Omega Squadron was called in ten years ago on Mars.”

  Jay asked, “How long can the virus survive airborne?”

  Talia scanned the database but shook her head. “There is no reliable data. Most of the information dates back to the Mars Incident. With the enclosed domes and recirculated air that data would not apply to a natural environment like New Atlanta. Wind patterns and ambient temperatures would have to be factored into the equation but as a guess the virus should die within twenty-four hours if a new host isn’t found. Of course, that’s just a guess.”

  Jay pointed at her chart. “But according to this, you believe that the majority of the population will be infected within the first two hours. That is, if we fail to stop the explosions.”

  Talia nodded. “Yes. Given the data available, I talked with Pax and she factored in the sixteen different locations and the prevailing winds and this is the best guess we can make.”

  “You are correct. I estimate that our conjecture to be eighty percent accurate, with a margin of error of five percent,” added Pax.

  Iaido nodded. “There is no way we can get to all sixteen locations in the time allotted. We are going to need help. Let me contact KC.”

  CHAPTER 28

  Kristopher was standing in his office gazing at the city map of New Atlanta which covered one whole wall when his com-link chimed. Casting a quick glance at the Federal Agent beside him, he hit the receive button.

  “Lt. Kristopher of the NAPD.”

  “KC, it’s Spartan. Can you talk?”

  Kristopher sat back down at his desk. “Yes, but be aware that Special Agent Johnson of the FSA is with me and he knows the truth of your origins.”

  “Good morning Mr. Spartan,” added the Fed.

  “Good. That will make things easier. Listen carefully. I believe that over the last few months, Major McDowell has placed at least sixteen proton bombs throughout the city and they are set to detonate within the hour.”

  “What!” they both yelled.

  “I have neutralized the Major but he had already set in motion the bombs. We have raided his database and we think we know the location of the bombs…well, a general location at least.”

  Special Agent Johnson asked, “Do you have proof or is this merely speculation?”

  “Both. The Major has been neutralized but the threat remains. Listen.”

  As Iaido played the recording, Kristopher nodded when he heard the voice, it was his former commander.

  “I won’t be taken back. And if you kill me, you’ll die here as well. Either way, you won’t be able to stop the coming cataclysm. Events have been set in motion that no one can stop. By this time tomorrow, New Atlanta will tear itself apart and the General will be to blame. I have seen to that.”

  Iaido asked, “Would you want to take the chance that I’m wrong or that he was just bluffing?”

  Special Agent Johnson nodded. “Good point. Let me have the data and we will get started.”

  Iaido paused. “Three things; first, Sgt. Major Spenton’s daughter Eve is sitting on one of the bombs. She must be a priority to rescue.”

  “Done.”

  “Secondly, each bomb is sitting on or is surrounded by a series of barrels. These must not be breeched at any cost.”

  Special Agent Johnson asked, “Why?”

  “We believe them to be filled with the Mars virus.”

  Kristopher spoke, “Oh My God!”

  “Yes. If they are breeched or any one of the bombs explodes then New Atlanta and possibly the entire Eastern seaboard could be contaminated.”

  Special Agent Johnson nodded. “Understood.”

  “One last thing, I need to know where the General is right now.”

  “Why,” asked Kristopher.

  Iaido could hear the Fed in the background already working on getting additional help for the bomb disposal. “He’s in grave danger.”

  “From the bombs?”

  “Something worse.”

  Special Agent Johnson perked up and asked, “What could be worse than bombs sitting on the Mars virus?”

  “One of my brothers is out to get him.”

  Kristopher said, “Holy shit! One of the Ten still lives? Who?”

  “Aeneas, the Major cloned him.”

  “And you think he is here in New Atlanta?”

  “It would only be logical. You know the Major was always a stickler for having a GOTH plan.”

  “True,” said Kristopher as he checked his copy of the President’s itinerary. “Oh shit…”

  “What?” asked Special Agent Johnson.

  “The President is at the Hall of Justice interviewing Jagger Jax.”

  “And…” prompted Iaido.

  “And considering the danger he presented, most of his entire Cabinet is with him and they are guarded by seven Galactic Marshals.”

  “One of them must be Aeneas. I’ll take care of him,” Iaido said. Transmitting the files he added, “Here is everything we have on the bombs. We can’t afford to fail on this. Good hunting. Spartan out.”

  As the comlink went dead, Special Agent Johnson looked at the map and then back to the NAPD lieutenant. “Can he handle the Marshals? Shouldn’t we send some backup his way?”

  Kristopher shook his head. “Trust me, you don’t want to be around for the blood bath that’s coming and any troops we send in would only be collateral damage.”

  “But he’s outnumbered.”

  “Always. But that is also when he is at his deadliest.”

  * * * * *

  Iaido looked up from the comm center and asked, “Status?”

  Pax responed. “All systems nominal and we should be at the drop zone in seventeen minutes.”

  “Good.” Iaido turned to his friend. “DJ, I don’t have the right to ask this but…”

  Downing a beer, the ex-marine tossed the empty can in a nearby pile. “You don’t have to ask. Just point me at them and go off and do your thing. I have your back.”

  “Thanks.”

  “Besides, try and leave me behind. There’s no way I’m gonna let you go and have all the fun.”

  “In that case, Athena, show him to storage locker Triple-X. I believe you’ll find s
omething there you can use.”

  Athena snapped to attention. “Aye, aye, sir.”

  As they departed down the ladder to the cargo hold, Talia gently cleared her throat. When he turned his attention back to the lovely Sylvan, he could tell that she had a question. “Yes?”

  “I know you’re busy but I am so confused. You referred to a Goth plan but the only reference for Goths I can find in the database is an ancient clan of warriors that were instrumental in the fall of the Roman Empire nearly a millennia ago and somehow I don’t think that is what you are talking about.”

  Iaido grinned at her attempt to discover answers to her own questions but wasn’t surprised that she couldn’t determine its origin.

  “You are correct. The military has a habit of making an acronym for commonly used phrases. In this case GOTH stands for Go To Hell plan. It’s a backup plan that kicks in when everything else fails. Like at noon when the bombs don’t go off, I would imagine the Praetorians have orders to assassinate the General and his Council.”

  Talia nodded. “And you’re going to stop it?”

  “Of course. As much as I dislike the General, he is the duly elected President of the Coalition and I swore an oath to protect the Coalition from all enemies, foreign and domestic.” Iaido paused and chuckled slightly. “Hell, if you think I’m dedicated, just wait until you see DJ in action. The Marines have a longer history of protecting the President than anyone.”

  About that time DJ walked in wearing a powered combat suit that was more tank than suit.

  The HAVOC V– Heavily Armored Variable Offensive Combat Vehicle- powered armor wasn’t sleek and subdued like Iaido’s ARC suit, it was bulky and intimidating. It was designed with multiple sharp corners intended to disrupt radar tracking and deflect any non-penetrating rounds. It was also made of thicker and heavier plating than the ARC suits which meant that anyone wearing it was nearly seven feet tall and at least half that wide. The HAVOC-V suit did have one defensive capability that the ARC suits didn’t have…nanites. Each suit was outfitted with one million of the microscopic androids with one simple purpose, to repair damage to the armor plating.

  The suit was a bright white and painted on the chest was a rampant bald eagle in front of the Coalition Flag with a banner of the Marine motto of ‘Semper Fi’ underneath, Latin for ‘Always Faithful.’

  For weapons, the HAVOC-V suit had twin rocket launchers, one on each shoulder, and DJ was carrying a Typhoon Series 10 Gatling Gun; the most powerful portable railgun available. It had ten different barrels which rotated as it fired giving the gun a chance to cool down slightly during use. The rounds were small, only 5mm in diameter but the speed and kinetic force it struck with was devastating.

  DJ had his helmet off and was smiling from ear to ear. “I like it!”

  “It fits you,” Iaido said. “Besides, Marines aren’t known for their subtly.”

  “How in the hell did you get a hold of HAVOC-V suit?”

  Iaido grinned. “You’d be amazed at what’s available on the Black Market these days.”

  Before anyone could say anything else, Pax interrupted. “T minus ten minutes.”

  Iaido became deadly serious. “Okay people, here’s the plan…”

  * * * * *

  By the time the Nemesis was on final approach to the New Atlanta Hall of Justice, it was a quarter till noon. Pax had tapped into the surveillance system of the government building, downloaded the blueprints and had a live feed from all internal cameras. They knew the interrogation was taking place in the Grand Rotunda, a huge room that covered three floors and nearly the whole center area of the building. Unfortunately, the main entryway was on the twentieth floor of the thirty floor building.

  Iaido pulled up a 3D rendering of the building and pointed at a spot on the roof.

  “Here’s our entry point.”

  DJ looked more closely at the spot where his friend was pointing. It was just a blank patch of roof. “Not to burst your bubble but there isn’t a door there.”

  Iaido grinned. “Not yet. I know you Marines have been clearing building for centuries but we don’t have time for a standard entry. So, we are going to do this the Omega way.” He pointed at the corresponding floors. “Using crater charges, we are going to blast a hole in the roof and drop through. We will continue this method until we reach the twentieth floor at this junction. This path will take us through the least traffic areas of each floor, but places us down the hall and around a corner from our target.”

  DJ nodded. “I see. I never thought of an entry like that. Marines tend to be more straight forward even when we are trying to flank our opponents.”

  “I know and there are times when that approach works best. This just isn’t one of those times. Our biggest problem will be the amount of resistance we will encounter during our approach but our options are limited with only two of us.”

  “Make that three.”

  The two warriors turned to find Jay standing there completely outfitted in his own ARC armor. It was nearly standard issue, with the exception of his cybernetic legs and the Master Chief emblem on his chest.

  “Nice to see you up and about Master Chief,” Iaido said.

  Jay nodded. “I couldn’t let you two face all those odds while I just sat around. Now, I won’t be much help in close quarter combat but I can still shoot with the best of them.”

  Iaido smiled. “Your assistance is greatly appreciated.”

  DJ smacked the Master Chief on the shoulder with a resounding clunk. “Welcome Squid.”

  Jay returned the thump. “Devil dog.”

  “Talking about close quarter combat, I have something for you DJ.” Iaido reached into a foot locker at his side and pulled out the twin powered gladii he taken from the Praetorians. “If we survive this, I’ll teach you how to use them properly. For now, I would suggest you think of them as really big knives.”

  “Thanks. I will. You know all Marines are skilled in knife combat.”

  “Just try not to get in a fencing match with the Praetorians, they are trained with these….you aren’t.” Seeing his friend nod, he continued. “Okay, in five minutes Pax will have us over the drop zone. I’ll lead, then the Marine and the Master Chief will cover the rear. Once we begin the assault, we don’t stop for anything. You fall behind, you get left behind. Just remember that ninety percent of the people we are about to confront are just civilians doing their jobs and not truly enemies.”

  Talia touched Iaido’s arm. “What do you want me to do?”

  Iaido turned and gazed into her emerald eyes. “You have the hardest job of them all.”

  “What’s that?”

  “Staying behind and waiting.” Seeing that she was about to object, he held up his armored hand to forestall her. “I cannot concentrate on the mission at hand if I’m worried about protecting you.”

  Talia reluctantly nodded, although Xerxes cocked his head to the side while one of his mandibles toyed with the leather pouch at his neck.

  Athena snapped to attention. “What are my orders Captain?”

  “You and Xerxes are to take the Nemesis into an over watch pattern. I wouldn’t be surprised to find that the Major’s GOTH plan called for some sort of airstrike. I know mine would.”

  With a rigid salute she said, “Aye..aye Captain.”

  * * * * *

  By the time the Nemesis settled in over the roof of the Hall of Justice, Special Agent Johnson had called to tell them that they had found and neutralized five of the bombs but no sign of Eve.

  Iaido just vaguely acknowledged receipt of the message as he watched the countdown timer on his HUD. One minute until they deployed. Old skills and mindsets automatically slipped into place. As soon as the Nemesis decloaked and became visible, four anti-aircraft guns deployed on each of the corners of the building and began tracking the warship. Pax had been expecting this and made short work of the batteries with the multiple turbolasers at her disposal.

  Seeing the threat neutralized, Ia
ido opened the cargo hatch. “Let’s Roll.”

  Putting actions to words, the bounty hunter stepped out into empty air and fell the fifty feet to the roof. Landing heavily, Iaido moved forward to the entry point without looking back. It was simple, they were following him or they weren’t. This type of mission was time critical. He couldn’t stop for anything.

  DJ and Jay followed twenty seconds apart, as planned. It had been over a decade since either of them had been in true combat but certain skills, once learned are never truly forgotten. They immediately took up flanking positions and constantly scanned the area, both visually and electronically.

  Iaido moved to the exact spot with the help of his HUD and set the crater charge for a three second delay. Stepping back, he spoke over their secure tac-net.

  “Fire in the hole.”

  BOOM…and the friends began their entry.

  * * * * *

  Talia couldn’t help but feel a sense of dread as she watched Iaido and her new friends disappear in the hole in the roof. For some reason, she glanced over at Xerxes. The large black Mantis shook the leather pouch around his neck and pointed at her, himself and then at the roof. Talia realized that he felt it also and thought that they needed to follow Iaido. Somehow, he knew that their ancient enemy lay below them.

  This was their moment of choice, confront it or wait it out.

  Taking a deep breath, she nodded. Xerxes immediately grabbed her around the waist and jumped. Talia couldn’t hold back the scream that escaped her lips. The large mantis landed on the roof and gently set her down.

  Talia looked around.

  The Nemesis was vectoring to intercept several skimmers that were en route to their location. Pulling out her pistol, she powered it up and moved to follow Xerxes who had just vanished into the opening. Stopping at the gap, she looked down to find the large mantis waiting for her among the rubble.

  Chewing her lip slightly, Talia took a deep breath and jumped.

  * * * * *

  Iaido couldn’t help but feel slightly excited at the dynamic entry they were performing. It’s an odd sensation knowing that at any second a tango, military slang for target, could pop out and engage them. They had already blown through four floors and hadn’t encountered a single tango but then, that was the plan. They had picked these corridors and rooms due to their lack of use but sooner or later, Iaido knew they would meet some sort of resistance. It was inevitable.