Eyes of the World (Gray Spear Society Book 10)

by Alex Siegel

  Aaron was stunned at the sight. The lobby was full of boxes, crates, and bundled equipment. The entire aperture project was here. A swarm of legionnaires was carrying everything out the front door at a run.

  Aaron worked his way through the lobby carefully. Several times, he was almost run over by men moving heavy things. Finally, he escaped to the parking lot in front of the hotel.

  Ten military transport trucks and two buses were parked there in a neat line. A large number of legionnaires was unloading the supplies from the backs of the trucks. These crates were being put off to the side for now. Even though it was cold, the men and women were flushed from the physical exertion. They were moving fast.

  After each transport truck was cleaned out, the aperture components were loaded onto it. Aaron hoped the legionnaires were being careful about which boxes were which. Fortunately, the military supplies were clearly labeled. The Army was good about that sort of thing.

  Aaron watched the controlled chaos with satisfaction. The plan was working beautifully.

  A loud thunderclap made him look to the west. The Lord's ferocious thunderstorm was getting closer. We just need a few more minutes, Aaron thought.

  Marina walked up to him. A sexy smile adorned her face, and her hips swayed just so. She looked hot in her snug body armor. He had sorely missed her.

  He grabbed her head and kissed her on the lips.

  "We need to get you out of here," he said. "We stopped the main convoy, but there are other military units in the area. I'm sure they're on their way."

  She looked at the frantic unloading and reloading process. Aaron had assigned a hundred legionnaires to the job, and they were making very quick work of it. There were almost too many big bodies flying around.

  Another thunderclap made Marina jump. She pointed to the west and said, "Is that what I think it is?"

  He nodded. "A healthy dose of divine wrath to help cover your escape."

  "Nice of Him."

  It was very cold, so they went inside and watched through a window. Aaron guessed it would be another few minutes before Marina could leave.

  Wesley walked up to them. He was wearing advanced body armor made in his small size. Norbert, Yvonne, and Guthrum were close behind the boy, and everybody was dressed for a serious fight. Norbert in particular was carrying a lot of guns plus an automatic grenade launcher. Yvonne had a sledgehammer hanging from her belt which was a strange choice for a small woman. Her supernatural strength would let her wield it effectively though.

  "The aperture will open tomorrow night," Wesley said to Aaron. "Don't be late."

  "I know," Aaron said. "You've told me four times. Do I get to hear the big, crazy secret yet?"

  "No." Wesley looked around. "This isn't the place or time."

  Aaron sighed.

  Bethany and Leanna joined the group. They were wearing heavy gray coats and snow boots. The sight of shoes on their feet made Aaron look twice. This was only the second time in his life that he had seen them wear shoes at all.

  "Are you scared?" he said.

  Bethany shook her head. "We can't feel fear."

  "That's probably a good thing in this case. Make sure you get some rest tonight. You've been working very hard. I don't want you to drop from exhaustion right before the end."

  "Yes, sir."

  Aaron looked out the window. "I think they're almost done. Marina, is your group ready to go?"

  "Of course, dear," Marina said. "I told everybody exactly which vehicle to ride in. Most will go in the buses. I think you need to get some rest, too."

  "I will." He kissed her.

  The loading process was finally complete. In addition to the aperture, "Group A" was bringing supplies they would need in Chinatown.

  The people started to board the vehicles. Nancy was the driver for the lead truck because she knew the route best. Marina went with her.

  One by one, the trucks and buses drove out of the parking lot. They stayed together in a long line. Except for the buses, it looked like an ordinary military convoy. Aaron had chosen a route that would avoid real military units, but even if the convoy were seen, it wouldn't attract much attention. Army trucks had become a common sight on the streets of Chicago.

  Finally, they were gone. Have a safe journey, he thought wistfully.

  Aaron went back outside. An impressive quantity of military supplies was sitting on the frozen parking lot. The hundreds of crates contained guns, ammunition, armor, clothing, and everything else a soldier might need. He smiled.

  "Get all that stuff inside!" he yelled at the legionnaires standing around. "Open up the crates and take what you need. It will be like Christmas morning."

  "Yes, sir!" they responded.

  Aaron's phone rang. The caller ID showed Perry's number.

  "What is it?"

  "Trouble is coming our way, sir," Perry said.

  "I'll be up there in a minute." Aaron ran back into the hotel.

  * * *

  The bus squealed to a stop, and Leonardo stepped out into frigid night air. The carnage was impressive. Wrecked and burning tanks formed a barrier that only a motorcycle could pass. A haze of smoke drifted through the air, and he could also smell mustard gas. Aaron doesn't play nice, Leonardo thought. I like that.

  His gift allowed him to see the souls of his enemy. They appeared like candles in the night in his mind's eye. Many were still alive. A few flickered out as he watched, but there was still a lot of killing to do.

  He turned around. Fourteen other buses parked on the interstate highway to form a block that went from shoulder to shoulder. Legionnaires spilled out of the doors. He waited impatiently for everybody to get within earshot.

  When there was some semblance of order, Leonardo yelled, "Stay with me! I'll designate targets as we go!"

  He walked swiftly and confidently forward. The great mob of legionnaires followed right behind him.

  He pointed at a tank. "Two in the hull." He pointed at a different tank. "Three more in there."

  Squads split off to kill the enemy soldiers.

  Leonardo continued forward. The turret of one tank had been blown off when the ammunition inside had exploded. Mortar shells had made impressive craters in the road surface.

  Tread tracks and a flattened guard rail showed where one tank had escaped from the trap. He didn't see where it had gone. He kept jogging.

  He pointed at a truck with six wheels and a covered cargo section. "The driver is still alive, and there are six... no, five in the back. Two squads. Go!"

  Twenty legionnaires ran towards the truck.

  After a moment, Leonardo heard gunshots, but the fight was over very quickly.

  The cold was turning his breath into fog, but God's anger was keeping him warm. It was going to be an enjoyable night.

  * * *

  Aaron arrived in his office. Charles was a pace behind him.

  "What's going on?" Aaron said.

  "Helicopters," Perry said.

  Aaron looked at the computer displays on Perry's workstation. Flashing red dots on a map of Chicago indicated the locations of the helicopters. They were only a few minutes away from the hotel. The aerial surveillance showed close-ups of two helicopters, and they looked like AH-64 Apaches. A long, narrow profile minimized exposure at the front. They were armed with batteries of missiles and 30 mm chain guns.

  "I think we should use the Black Owls," Perry said. "They're going to run out of fuel in an hour or two anyway."

  Aaron smiled. "Go ahead."

  Perry typed on his keyboard to send commands to the drones flying high above Chicago.

  Aaron watched the helicopters on the video. A flash of white light showed a laser hit. The engine of one helicopter began to spew flames and smoke. A second strike made the helicopter suddenly lose control. It wobbled and began to fall out of the sky.

  "This is fun," Perry said. "It's like a video game."

  "Be respectful," Aaron said. "Those helicopters have pilots, and those pilots h
ave families. We're doing this only because we must."

  "Yes, sir," Perry said solemnly.

  * * *

  Walker was rubbing his hands together from anxiety. When his skin began to feel raw, he forced himself to stop.

  "What's going on now?" he yelled.

  The lack of effective reconnaissance was killing him. It was like having a fist fight in a dark room. He had to make contact to know where the enemy was.

  "The helicopters are getting shot down!" a technician called out.

  "How?" Walker said. "Missiles?"

  "An energy weapon, sir. It could be the Black Owls."

  "I thought we lost contact with them."

  "Apparently, the enemy controls them now," the technician said.

  Walker rolled his eyes. What else could possibly go wrong? he wondered. The Black Owls were capable of destroying every helicopter in the air. He had more helicopters in reserve, but they weren't armed and fueled, and he didn't dare send them up now anyway. Even worse, the drones were providing the enemy with the aerial recon his side sorely lacked.

  "What about the main attack convoy?" Walker said.

  "The reports are confusing," an officer yelled from another part of the room. "It appears they are engaged with enemy forces on the highway."

  "Are we winning?"

  "I don't think so, sir."

  Walker slammed his fist on his desk. "I want to hear some good news. We have other ground units near the fucking hotel. At least one of them should get through. We're not that incompetent."

  Nobody spoke for a long moment.

  Eventually, one officer said, "We're doing our best, sir."

  Walker frowned. That's unfortunate, he thought.

  * * *

  Aaron walked into the grand ballroom of his hotel. All the many boxes and crates that had been taken from the supply convoy were here. Legionnaires were eagerly prying them apart like children opening birthday presents. Equipment had been in short supply, and this group had been last on the list. They desperately needed the weapons and armor in those crates.

  They were making a mess though. Packing peanuts and foam were strewn across the beautiful tan carpeting. It seemed messes in his headquarters were the rule these days.

  Aaron spotted the Dragon and walked over to her. The Chinese woman had wrinkles on her face that suggested she was in her late forties or early fifties. She was wearing a red and pink, flowery dress which fit tightly around her narrow waist. A high collar added to the elegance.

  Her bodyguard dwarfed her. The giant man was wearing black, leather armor made in an ancient Roman style. Riveted flaps covered his body from his neck down to his shoes. As Aaron got closer, he realized the armor was made of Kevlar instead of leather. It was an interesting combination of old and new. The bodyguard had the usual assortment of guns and knives, but he also had a battle axe hanging from his belt. The weapon seemed inconveniently bulky and awkward to Aaron.

  He smiled at the Dragon.

  "Can I help you, Lord?" she said with a slight hint of bitterness.

  "Yes," Aaron said. "Trouble is coming our way. I want you to get a team of legionnaires ready to defend the hotel."

  She nodded. "How big a team?"

  "As many as can be properly equipped for battle."

  "Yes, sir."

  "Do it quickly," he said. "You don't have a lot of time to get organized."

  "Of course. Your wife is safely away?" She spoke the word "wife" with some disdain.

  "Yes. Thanks for asking."

  "I still find it very strange that we're risking our lives to defend an empty building. Perhaps all of us should've gone with the twins?"

  "I disagree," Aaron said. "Now we can fight using every means at our disposal without worrying about the twins getting hurt. We can even retreat. That kind of flexibility is invaluable. It will work as long as the enemy doesn't see through the trick, which means we have to put up a good fight here."

  He heard a distant rumble.

  The Dragon looked up with an alarmed expression. A puff of fire blew out of her nostrils. "What was that?"

  "The storm. It's getting close."

  * * *

  Leonardo looked down at the body of a dead soldier. She was a young woman, no older than twenty. She looked very fit. He imagined she had been energetic and full of optimism when still alive. She could've given birth to many children. A mortar shell had taken off her legs, and she had bled to death. It's always the innocent that suffer in the war between God and His enemies, Leonardo thought. Will it ever end?

  He raised his head. The highway looked more like the aftermath of an apocalypse than a means of transportation. Many soldiers had died while still inside their vehicles, but some had escaped to die on the road. Everywhere he turned, he got an unwanted lesson in internal human anatomy. In some cases, it wasn't clear which parts belonged to which bodies.

  In his mind, he saw the flickering soul of the last enemy soldier still alive. Leonardo heard a gunshot. The light went out. He sighed.

  The slaughter had not been entirely one-sided. "Group C" had killed at least a thousand soldiers during the long, bloody march down the enemy caravan. Leonardo had designated every target using his gift. No soul could escape his inner sight. Even so, some soldiers had managed to put up a deadly fight, and his legionnaires had made stupid mistakes.

  Leonardo took out his phone and called Aaron.

  "Report," the Lord of the Society said.

  "We're finished here, sir."

  "Casualties?"

  "I lost twenty-six," Leonardo said.

  Aaron grunted. "That's not good news. The war has just begun. The battles will only get uglier."

  "What are your orders, sir?"

  "Circle back towards the hotel. We're picking up a lot of chatter on the military communication channels. It looks like the Army still intends to take a swipe at us tonight."

  "Yes, sir," Leonardo said without great enthusiasm. He had had his fill of death for one night.

  "If we hurt them enough, maybe they'll get the message and go away. That would be the best possible outcome."

  "It seems unlikely."

  "I know," Aaron said. "Out." The call ended.

  Leonardo put away his phone.

  A flash of light made him look to the west. A few seconds later, he heard roaring thunder, and it rattled his guts. He had noticed the approaching storm earlier, but now it was close. The intensity was astonishing. Lightning leapt from cloud to cloud almost continuously. The phenomenon didn't seem natural. In a few minutes, it would be on top of him.

  "Madre de Dios," he murmured, "por favor protégenos."

  * * *

  "We're losing communications," a technician called out.

  Walker almost didn't want to hear the explanation. The operation had been a disaster so far, but there was still hope. Two thousand troops and ten tanks were rolling towards the Rosemont Tower Hotel. The force was a clumsy amalgamation of units. He had stripped western Chicago of every available man or woman in uniform in a desperate attempt to achieve some kind of victory tonight.

  Walker noticed the screens on the control consoles were going dark or showing error codes. He looked around. It was happening all over the command bunker.

  "What's going on?" Walker said.

  "Some kind of freak atmospheric phenomenon," the technician said. "It's causing hellacious radio interference. Even the land lines are picking up voltage spikes."

  "What about the Red Eye radios?"

  "Nothing is working, sir. It looks like every unit is on its own until the storm passes."

  Walker's shoulders sagged. He slowly climbed up the stairs to reach the upper platform. Erika was standing in her glass enclosure with an anxious expression. She had taken off her diamond tiara and necklace. It was a tacit admission that perhaps victory wasn't in the cards tonight.

  "Did you hear?" he said.

  She nodded. "I think the Great Adversary is messing with us. The timing of this 'fre
ak atmospheric phenomenon' is very coincidental. I told you this wouldn't be easy."

  "That's an understatement, but it's not over. Eventually, the storm will pass, and communication will be restored. Then we'll find out how the battle went. Maybe this was a desperate move by a Being who knows He will lose."

  "Yes, obviously." She smiled, but the expression was unconvincing.

  He looked over at his cot. "I have nothing to do now except wait for good news, so I'll get some sleep. Good night."

  He walked over, kicked off his shoes, and laid down, but his eyes wouldn't stay closed.

  * * *

  The lights in Aaron's office flickered.

  "What happened?" he said.

  "We lost external power," Jack said through overhead speakers. "We're on backup generators now."

  "Crap. We have plenty of fuel right?"

  "A week's supply, sir."

  Aaron sighed with relief. Nancy had designed the hotel to withstand a siege.

  He could hear the storm above even though headquarters had very thick, concrete walls. The booms and crashes were awe inspiring.

  "Damn it!" Perry yelled. He lifted his hands off his keyboard.

  "What?" Aaron said.

  "We have no internet or phone service now. We can't communicate with the outside world. This storm is making a mess of our wiring."

  "Commander," Jack said, "long range cameras are detecting enemy movement."

  "Show me," Aaron said.

  A video image appeared on one of Perry's computer monitors. It showed Army trucks and armored vehicles rolling along a city street. He recognized the location as only three blocks away. The image switched to a view of a different street. A second column was approaching from another direction.

  "They got here faster than I expected!" Aaron said. "Can you estimate how many?"

  "At least fifteen hundred soldiers," Jack said, "but the convoy extends beyond the range of my cameras. I'm also seeing tanks."

  "Use the mortars."

  There was a pause. "External weapons are not responding, sir. The storm is overloading the electrical system."

  "Shit!" Aaron said.

  He needed reinforcements. He grabbed his phone and dialed Leonardo. The phone just beeped at Aaron. He checked the display and saw it had no signal. He wanted to throw the phone across the room, but he put it in his pocket instead.