He felt the wind go out from him and his strength with it. He lost his grip and fell down against the wall. The creature backed off with both of its guns trained on him as he sat against the wall without a hope of dodging another shot.
“Do your worst,” he said as he spat out blood.
A volley of fire rang out, and the Juggernaut was hit by overwhelming fire. Babacan entered the room with his Hydra spitting out shot after shot. The rest of the squad was with him. The Juggernaut was knocked back a few paces, and as it turned to fire, two limbs were blown off. It dropped to the floor and collapsed.
“Great timing.”
He leaned over and used his hands to help himself back onto his feet. He was still a little stunned, but he knelt down by the Juggernaut and drove his Assegai into its head all the way up to the hilt. He drew the blade back out, finally happy that it was dead. When he looked over, there was no sign of the woman in the suit, but neither was there a sign of any blood.
“Lisa Caron!” he called.
A cabinet rustled, and she stepped out into full view.
“Are you Lisa Caron?” Taylor demanded.
She nodded.
“Have you been hurt?”
She shook her head.
“Ma’am, we have come to get you out.”
She squinted as if recognising him, but it wasn’t clear what she was most shocked about.
“You’re Mitch Taylor, aren’t you?” she asked quietly.
“Guilty.”
“What the hell are you doing here? Haven’t you got bigger things to worry about?”
“Nope, Ma’am, the security and life of the next President of the Alliance is my primary concern.”
“What? What are you talking about?”
“The job is yours, and don’t argue with me. We didn’t risk it all for you to say no. This country, this world, and this Alliance needs you, right now!”
She didn’t know what to say.
“Surely, I…”
“It’s a shock. I get that, but it is the shocking reality of what we are facing. We have to get you out of here, Ma’am.”
“That’s our job.”
Taylor turned to see one of the men who had been protecting her was on his feet and helping the other woman who worked with him. They wore the same equipment as Taylor and his people, but it was new and with no insignia or markings of any kind.
“Who the fuck are you?”
“Secret Service, and she will be coming with us.”
“No, no, I won’t,” she intervened.
They couldn’t believe what they were hearing.
“Colonel, you have no authority to come in here and start giving orders,” pleaded the man.
“The hell I do. If it weren’t for us, you’d all be dead right about now. So you’d better either stand with us, or leave us the hell alone, do I make myself clear?”
They looked to Caron for confirmation.
“It’s okay. Stand down.”
“It’s a long story,” added Taylor, “but all you need to know is that you are next in line to the Presidency. Isaacs is dead, and it is vital that we get you to a safe location. Will you come with us?”
“Yes, Colonel Taylor, I will.”
“All right, let’s get out while we still can.”
Chapter 8
“Welcome, Madam President,” said Alita as they climbed aboard. Taylor ushered her to the front where Jones would normally sit. Her two Secret Service agents stayed close throughout.
“Thank you,” she replied hesitatingly.
“So what happened?” Taylor asked the two agents.
“We were sent to retrieve our target, Miss Caron. Twelve agents, running as quietly and covertly as possible.”
“I guess that didn’t work out so well,” said Jones, as he stepped aboard with the other two squads and took their seats.
The engines fired up as they began to lift off.
“No,” replied the female agent, “Our lead vehicle was involved in a road accident which escalated rapidly. There are a lot of terrified people out there trying to flee the city.”
“I don’t blame them.”
“But you could have gone wheels up and got off the roads anytime you liked.”
“We had strict orders not to. We were to stay grounded throughout so as to not draw any unnecessary attention.”
“And then?”
The woman continued the story. “We were to…”
“Yes,” insisted Taylor.
“Get Miss Caron to a secret destination, a fallout shelter.”
“Yeah, well, it ain’t there anymore.”
“What do you mean?”
“We heard it from General Greer. It was destroyed outright.”
Their faces turned to shock and terror, and it became clear that what was lost in that fallout shelter was more than they realised. Taylor didn’t even want to ask, as it no longer mattered.
“And after that?”
“We went on foot the rest of the way. We arrived at the hospital just before the enemy did, and they came at us hard. We fought them as best we could, but…
“It’s okay. We are well aware of what they are. It’s no walk in the park to face the Morohtans.”
“Where to, Mitch?” Alita asked.
The agents looked surprised by her casual approach to authority but knew it wasn’t their place to say, and they didn’t even have an answer now that their mission had been scuppered beyond recognition.
“Miss Caron needs to be taken to safety, but I promised General Greer that we would go back to help at the soonest opportunity. Get us back in the fight, and then return to the Indy,” he ordered as he looked to Caron.
“You will be safe there, Ma’am.”
She was still too stunned for words, so he turned his attention to the two agents.
“I am Taylor,” he said, offering his hand in friendship.
They took it in turn.
“Johnson, and this is Wells,” said the man.
“Okay, you are to stay with her right the way through. She is now the most important individual on Earth as far as we are concerned. You will not leave her sight.”
They both nodded in agreement as if they had accepted him as their new boss. It wasn’t surprising; they had just lost everything they cared and stood for. He leaned in towards the cockpit.
“You make sure they get to the Indy, you hear me?”
“Sure.”
“I mean it. Don’t let all this be for nothing.”
“You can trust me, Mitch, you know that.”
“I know.”
He looked up as he noticed a flash of light and movement on the screens ahead. They were nearing the epicentre of the fighting they had left.
“Put us down here. There’s no need to get any closer to the combat than you have to. We can manage on foot.”
She brought them down over the exact same crossroads as they had been picked up from. As the ramp lowered, the distant sound of the battle invaded the cabin.
“They’re playing your tune,” said Alita.
He reached forward and kissed her. As he did so, he leaned on her shoulder and pressed on her neck where she had been injured. She winced and recoiled in pain.
“When you get up there, you stay put. Rest and recover.”
“But you…”
‘But nothing, you have done more than enough already. At least take a day to rest as a bare minimum. That’s an order.”
She begrudgingly agreed, and he turned back to Caron.
“I wish you every luck. You are about to have a whole ton of responsibility thrown down upon you. I know you can handle it.”
“How?”
“You have General Greer’s backing. She was the one who told us where to find you. She said she’d have voted for you. You are the best hope we have of leadership. Go with this. We all need you.”
The President was pale and gaunt. She looked mortified by the whole experience. Taylor looked back at
Alita one last time before stepping out the door with the rest of the platoon. The craft lifted off, and they watched it ascend at a rapid pace towards the atmosphere.
Taylor didn’t need to say a word to his platoon, as they got moving towards the sound of the fighting. They had made ten metres when Jones piped up, “It’s hell of a position to put that woman in.”
Taylor sighed. “She’ll get over it. Plenty of people are having to go through far worse.”
“I know, but that pressure, none of us know that.”
“We all fight our battles differently.”
“You can be pretty cold sometimes, you know that?”
“So I’ve heard. There are worse things to be criticised for,” he said with a yawn.
The fatigue was really setting in now, but they soon reached the lines of wounded and dead. The lines had grown far longer than when they had left, but Taylor was relieved to see they were still holding strong. He passed the restaurant that had become the main med station and saw Greer in the distance. She was standing at a display board. It had a map of the area, and all known movements were being updated in real time. As he approached, she turned around to try and clear her head, wiping the sweat from her brow. She looked down as if exhausted both physically and mentally, but as she looked back up, she smiled when she saw Taylor approaching.
“I didn’t think I was ever going to see you again, Colonel.”
“I said I would come back, General.”
“What people say and intend are often not what they do or are capable of.”
“Maybe for some suit wearing slackers, but not for me, or anyone who fights with me.”
“I’m glad to hear it.”
“So where are we up to?”
“Actually, Colonel, it’s not looking half bad. The troops you brought have crushed the enemy in the west and have moved north of our position. I don’t want to get ahead of ourselves, but we may just secure this area with another few days’ work.”
“And elsewhere? Any news?”
“Little scraps of information here and there, that’s all we are getting. It’s still chaos in most places you can name. The west coast is holding out a little better than here. South of Mexico is in free fall. Texas is awash with refugees. They’re asking for militia recruits from any men and women between sixteen and sixty.”
“Sounds bad.”
“Yes, it is. Quite frankly, I never expected we would ever be hit with these kinds of numbers all at once. It’s unprecedented.”
“No, it isn’t. It’s happened before in my time. There is plenty of precedence for it, and the fact that this nation and this world wasn’t ready is your own fault.”
“I get that, I really do. I pushed for improvements all the way through my career, but there’s only so much one person can do. You have no idea how much resistance I had to the reforms I wanted to make. If I’d had my way, our armed forces would have been three times the size they are today, and far more advanced.”
“We need to increase firepower and fast. The last few days we have faced things far beyond what we are capable of dealing with. That thing in the stadium, did you see it?”
“No.”
“Well, count yourself lucky. Now, what are my orders?”
“At present, Colonel, we are doing just fine.”
“Okay, but what do you want me to do?”
“Rest.”
“I…”
“No, Colonel, I can see you and your people are exhausted.”
“Maybe, but there is a lot more work to do.”
“But even you can’t go on forever. How long have you been operating under stims for now? When was the last time you had a night’s sleep?”
He shrugged, as he didn’t even know anymore.
“It’s catching you up fast now, Colonel. If you and your people don’t get some real rest in soon, you’re going to crash and burn. You are no good to us in that state.”
Taylor expected Jones to back him up, but he was in agreement with Greer.
“There is a hotel down the street. I have seen to it that one floor has been kept empty for your platoon. I am sure the rest of your Regiment could do with it, too, but you lot more than most. You push your people pretty hard, Colonel.”
“No more than is necessary. I am grateful that you were thinking of us, but I’d just as soon get back onto the front line.”
“Come on, Colonel. Don’t be a fool. I know you’ll do whatever the hell you want if you see fit. Your ability to flaunt authority is almost as legendary as your skill in combat. So screw this being an order. I am asking you, as a friend. Please, do what is best for all of us. One night.”
He struggled to hold back another yawn. He could really feel the strain and so begrudgingly agreed.
“All right, we’ll take it, but if you need us, you don’t hesitate to call?”
“Sure.”
“You know where to find us, so no excuses, we are ready to respond to anything.”
“I hear you, Colonel,” she snapped in a frustrating manner.
“We’ve held them, haven’t we?”
She smiled. “Yes, we have that.”
“Then there is hope yet. Nothing will ever take this world from us, you can be assured of that.”
“I know.”
With that, he left and led the platoon towards the hotel.
“A night off? I didn’t think that would be coming inside of a week,” whispered Jones.
“You and I both know that if we had kept going for a week, we’d drop where we stood.”
“You had every intention of taking this respite?”
Taylor smiled cheekily. “Got to keep up appearances.”
They reached the hotel. It was teeming with troops, and Taylor didn’t blame them. The fighting they had endured entitled them to some rest, but none more than his platoon. They stepped inside to find themselves guided by an enthusiastic Corporal.
“I am sorry, Sir, but you are going to have to share two to a room. We just don’t have enough space,” he apologised.
Taylor laughed.
“Two to a hotel room is some step up from a whole platoon in the ruins of God knows where.”
They were shown to their rooms. Jones and Taylor stepped inside theirs; they had been given the honeymoon suite. The most lavish room in the hotel, but with only one large bed. They couldn’t help but laugh. The lights were low, and shutters blocked the view out to what looked like a balcony.
“All shutters are to be closed when lights are on, as we are in blackout conditions. It is not recommended you open them for any reason, except in the case of…well you know.”
He shut the door behind them, and they stepped out of their armour. Taylor paced up to the balcony.
“What are you doing?”
“I want to see it for myself, that’s all.”
“Did you not hear what the Corporal just said?”
“Yeah, I heard him. Get the lights, will you?”
Jones sighed but he entertained Taylor’s request. Taylor pressed the switch for the shutters to draw back. It revealed an extravagant balcony that looked out across much of the city to the north and the east. Explosions rang out across many streets beyond, and lights flashed all over as automatic weapons laid down fire. The combat was a few blocks away from them, maybe a kilometre and a half at the most.
“You’ve seen this enough times before, haven’t you?”
“More than any man should have to, yes.”
“Then why come out here and have to endure it once again?”
“Because I am not one to bury my head in the sand. Just because I don’t want to see it, doesn’t mean it isn’t there.”
Jones then studied the scene for himself. The front was a few kilometres wide. They could hear a line of vehicles on the street below and looked over to see a mix of trucks, packed with civilians.
“How many people do you think are still trapped in the city?” Jones asked.
“A hell of a lot.
Poor bastards.”
“You know it just doesn’t seem fair that our cities are such primary targets in these wars.”
“It certainly isn’t fair, but they’ll keep doing it. They have nothing to lose, whereas we have everything. We have to divert resources to non-combatants. It spreads fear and uncertainty, and it whittles down the next generation of potential fighters.”
“I don’t see what we could ever have done to stop it from happening.”
“Sure, there are plenty of things; national service for all adults, and a requirement to own and carry equipment in which to fight at home. Air defence systems on all sky rise buildings and in suburban areas.”
“That is asking people to live in fear and under wartime conditions for life.”
“It’s not really our decision to make. War comes to us. We don’t choose it.”
“We managed long enough without having to kill. Centuries of peace.”
“Won and earned through war. That peace was fought for, and the following generations in their ignorance chose to forget how they even acquired the perfect world they enjoyed.”
“I don’t think any nation will ever be willing to live in wartime conditions when at peace.”
He knew Jones was right.
“Those who do not learn the lessons of history are doomed to repeat it.”
Jones looked impressed.
“Yep, that one is burnt into my mind after enough experience to know how painfully true it is.”
Lights lit up the sky as artillery from both sides crossed paths. A building a few blocks to the south was struck by one huge energy blast. It collapsed under the impact. They both knew how dangerous it was to stay where they were, but neither was willing to leave. Taylor covered his mouth, trying to hold back the yawn as the exhaustion once again set in.
“Come on, we came here to get some rest. Let’s make the best use of the time we have,” said Jones.
They shut the blinds and placed their weapons on the side tables, so as to have easy access. They both stayed in their uniforms. They didn’t even think about taking their boots off. The danger was so ever present they had to be ready to deal with anything at a moment’s notice. As Taylor lay down on one side of the bed, he let out a sigh at how comfortable it was. Jones took the other.
Battle Beyond Earth: Revenge Page 12