27 The Four Liberators
11:55 10 November [17:55 10 November GMT]
La Guitarra Mine, Nr. San Simon de Guerrero, 60 miles South West of Mexico City.
Benjamin Yogev looked at his watch, it is nearly time. He made his final entry in his notebook and pushed it under his pillow. The build-up had been long and tiring, months of slow communications by letter, encoding and decoding their contents. Making meticulous plans for this day. How many soldiers, where, when. Their forces were quite strong now, numbering over a hundred. The hope was that when it started the others would join in, whether to fight for freedom or just simply riot, the effect on the Sunarr soldiers would essentially be the same. They would be forced to react and try to quell the revolt. This would weaken the defences around the installations, most importantly of which was the power plant. He picked up his rucksack; it was heavy and identical to three others in the camp. He wished they could have made more, but they only had enough explosives for four suicide packs. Only one was needed to get through, but one in four odds were not good. If they failed then he expected all of the prisoners to suffer the consequences.
He met Saeb Tibi outside. Saeb was carrying his own rucksack. They walked together in silence to meet up with the others. Benjamin was sure that his friend had written his own last notes. It had been agreed that the other would read, hold, and publish the other's if one of them were successful in gaining access to the power plant. It was not a happy thought, but it did bring them both some sense of solace to know that their memory and their thoughts would out live them. After more than a year together, the only thing that seemed strange to them both was that their friendship seemed perfectly normal and rational. The fears and prejudices of their pasts had left them both. Replaced by mutual admiration and respect upon finding that what they shared far outweighed everything else. They were both well aware it was the extraordinary situation that they were in that had cultivated their relationship from one of need to want. They looked forward to each other’s company now and the thought that they might lose that today weighed heavy on their hearts. They knew the mission and they knew the risks. They had had plenty of offers from others willing to do the job, even some lifers who figured that they had nothing to lose. Benjamin and Saeb told them no, we planned this and we must be a part of it. Leadership has its price and this was it. Neither wanted to die, but to fail would be a worse fate for them and everyone. Benjamin broke the silence.
'Have you placed yourself in Allah's hands my friend. I have myself in God's hands.'
'I have indeed. It is his will that we are here, now for the sake of our peoples.' Saeb replied.
'I feel it a great shame that only one of us can be right, I will miss you.'
'Not so Benjamin. I believe that the divine shows himself in ways that we can understand. For me that is Allah, for you it is God. For a non-believer it is the Big Bang. All is his will. We will meet again and when we do the brilliance that is the Truth will shine upon us both.'
'Have I ever told you that I like the way you think?'
'Yes Benjamin, many times.' Saeb replied as they both laughed at their own peculiar friendship.
What is it, Benjamin thought to himself, that I prefer the company of this man to any other? We were once bitter enemies and now we are closer than brothers. I would lay down my life for him and I know he would do the same. Benjamin thought back to his time in the military, he couldn't guess at how many Palestinian lives he had ended prematurely. Now he felt each one to be both a stain on his character and the loss of a potential friend. Would that my friends, family, and colleagues could see me now.
'What troubles you my friend?' Saeb asked, seeing the look on Benjamin's face.
'I was just,’ Benjamin struggled to find the right words, 'thinking about the troubles between our peoples.'
'We can concern ourselves with the past or the future. Tell me which do you think will help our peoples the most?' Saeb replied.
'You're right of course. We must look to the future to have a positive one. For now, we must attend to the present.'
They approached the gathering; the men seemed tense, focused. The group parted to let Saeb and Benjamin into the centre, next to the two others who had sworn to give their lives to destroy the power plant. They didn't like the term suicide bombers, nor martyrs, the first having negative overtones and the second was too pretentious, too dramatic. The four of them were all dedicated to the same mission, one that required of them to not only get their explosive packs into the power plant but also to ensure that it was detonated inside. They had spent a long time trying to find the best way to do this, and every time the answer was the same. Someone would have to be inside the power plant and detonate the explosives there. Any other way and the risk of failure was too high. As it was the risks were still great, the Sunarr would do everything they could to prevent the attack. That is why they needed the uprising, the rioting, and four people with backpacks. That was why, for the four of them, it would probably be a one-way mission. They had sought no title but the rest of the group had started calling them the Four Liberators. Benjamin spoke to them, his voice quiet, his tone even but purposeful.
'In a few moments we will we will make a stand. In a few moments, we will throw down our differences and pick up our tools. In a few moments, we will attack our persecutors and overthrow their rule. In a few moments, we will turn this prison into a shining example of humanities capacity to pull together. In a few moments, we will become men again and stand shoulder to shoulder with those who history has judged to be great. In a few moments we will take down these walls and once again breathe as free men.’ He paused before continuing.
‘However I must tell you this before we start. There is more resting on us than we could have ever imagined. I have discovered that once the Sunarr have mined all of the mineral gold on Earth they will turn to other sources. I have to tell you that we are one of those sources. Each of us has within us a small amount of gold. They want to harvest that. They want to burn our bodies to enrich themselves. They want to kill all of us, every man, woman and child on Earth. All of your families, all of your friends. Everyone. So, in a few moments, we will not be fighting just for ourselves but for everyone we know and care about. In a few moments, unleash hell on them. For us, for our families, for humanity!'
The crowd responded, spontaneously chanting.
'For humanity! For humanity! For humanity!’
Neither Benjamin nor Saeb tried to prevent them from their chanting. It was time and they wouldn't be stopped now, indeed any intervention by the Sunarr at this moment would only inflame them more towards their goal. Benjamin instructed the leaders of the sub-groups to go to their targets. They walked with purpose now, backs straight, heads up, they were more than just prisoners now, they were men again, men with a mission.
Saeb and Benjamin led their own group. They had managed to persuade, bribe actually, one of the mineworkers to get them on the work detail closest to the power plant. It was still a good one hundred and fifty yards away, but it was the best they could do. However, there were some mounds and vehicles between their work location and the power plant, which they hoped would provide some cover. They both felt that they would need it.
It began on schedule. In the southeast corner of the mine the rioting started, led by Leroy Banks. Shouting at first, and then banging their tools, it soon escalated as they set fire to a couple of trucks and a building. The second truck was carrying compressed gas canisters. As the fire took hold, they heated up rapidly. The first to ignite took off like a rocket, as the canister ruptured and the pressurised gas forced its way out violently, sending it skyward. The gas burnt as soon as it left the canister adding to its thrust, burning a bright arc through the air for all to see. It hadn't been planned this way, but the effect was perfect. Drawing the attention of everyone in the camp, it exploded over the main complex sending burning fragments of steel and a cloud of burning gas over it. More canisters started to fire off, an
d the rioting spread to the southwest and northeast of the camp where Chuck Holford was leading the rioting in the prisoner barracks. Saeb and Benjamin were in the northwest corner behind one of the sheds, watching the power plant on the mound, and the heavy weapon mounted outside it. A number of the guards came running from the power plant heading towards the rioting areas. The heavy weapon remained in operation, the Sunarr soldiers maintaining their posts.
It looks like this is going to be the best it will be, Benjamin thought as he signalled to the three attack groups. Two of the groups were situated about fifty yards closer to the power plant approaching the heavy weapon emplacement from either side. The third was directly ahead of the Four Liberators and was split into two groups, the lead, and the shield. The two groups started running towards the power plant, shouting and waiving their pick-axes, sledgehammers and shovel handles wildly in the air. Those who had petrol bombs threw them, though most fell harmlessly short but they did add to the general confusion. The lead group then started running to join them. It was then that the heavy weapon opened fire. It was like a hosepipe of death, the attackers falling in waves. The Four Liberators started their run, the shield group starting theirs as the Liberators drew near. The shield was essentially that, a human shield to protect the Liberators for as long as possible. Long enough they hoped for one of them to make it inside the power plant and detonate their explosives.
The plan was working, but they were dying too quickly. The fire rate of the heavy weapon was tremendous; Benjamin could see them running out of attackers before their mission was achieved. He had always considered himself to be fit, but he was lagging behind Saeb, as Saeb was behind the other two Liberators. They were getting close. Benjamin could see the entrance to the power plant now. The heavy weapon turned on their group.
The shield was almost gone. The two Liberators out in front virtually disappeared before Benjamin's eyes as the weapon hit them. A petrol bomb landed beside the weapon and the Sunarr soldier jerked as the flames leapt up in front of his face. His aim ruined, the soldier was still firing. It traced a path harmlessly in front of Benjamin's feet, but the arc took it across the path of Saeb. Blood splattered out as Saeb's legs were hit. He watched as his friend fell to the ground, helpless to move.
Benjamin was now on level ground, the reduced effort he translated into greater speed, ignoring his screaming muscles he now knew beyond any doubt that he wouldn't have to worry about pulling a muscle or anything so mundane. He was between the heavy weapon emplacement and the power plant. Ordinarily the Sunarr soldier would not have fired for fear of hitting the power plant but the rucksack that Benjamin was carrying changed everything. The soldier correctly guessed its significance and concentrated on trying to trace his fire into Benjamin. Although moving fast, Benjamin was moving faster still. As he came within paces of the entrance, he turned to look at his friend one last time. Saeb was down but not out. He was up propped up on one elbow, he waved with the other. Benjamin waved and smiled at his friend, just as he disappeared into the power plant.
Inside all was calm. Time seemed to take on a whole new pulse. Benjamin was aware of his own heartbeat, but now it seemed to be ebbing and flowing like a slow but powerful tide. Boom..., whoosh..., boom..., whoosh..., slowly pumping his lifeblood around his system. His breathing, which had been deep and rapid, now seemed deep and slow. He looked around the power plant as he moved into its centre. There were five Sunarr, two appeared to be engineers, he guessed, both bent over a panel of lights with tools in their hands. The other three, one by the entrance to his right and the other two down the far end to his left, were Sunarr soldiers. They were all dressed in the Sunarr soldiers armour suits, two in the standard white, one in red. None were wearing helmets. They all turned to see who had entered. It was then that Benjamin got his first and last look at the Sunarr soldiers. They were all identical. All clones. They looked like the other Sunarr, in that they resembled humans, but there was something about the eyes he didn't like. They were distant, lost in a sea of their own consciousness.
He was still moving. The momentum of the sprint to the entrance carrying him forward. He reached up with his right hand and clasped the cord. He pulled it all the way down, as far as it would go. The other end of the cord went tight and pulled against the plunger. Forcing the plunger upwards, it in turn forced the two liquids together, mixing them as it went. Relatively harmless on their own, mixed together they started to react. One rich in oxygen, the other in an accelerant, the reaction expanded and with the heat generated it accelerated further. There was so much pressure now in the containers that they strained to contain the mixture. Finally, the seam gave way and the explosive reached the surrounding air. Here it met another source of oxygen, which further increased its burning intensity. Expanding exponentially now, it enveloped the whole of the backpack, which had been lined with several containers of a petrol and diesel mix. Heating and freeing the mix, it ignited too, adding to the growing pressure wave expanding inside the power plant.
The first casualty had to be Benjamin. He was closest to the centre of the explosion. It burned and forced its way through his back, sending bone, and other matter forwards, shredding his internal organs before finally erupting out of his chest. He knew that he was milliseconds from death as he saw his chest explode. His mind was calm now though. He had, they had, achieved their mission. The power plant would be destroyed and without it, the dome would fail. He thought of his brothers Ishmael and Toby and how they would be waiting for him. He thought of his parents, Abraham and Nina and of his sister Bess and how he would miss them, but wait for them also on the other side. Finally, he thought of his own life and how he wished that he had lived in peaceful times and had the opportunity to marry and raise a family. He was generally content though. He had served his people. He had served Earth.
The explosion continued to expand outwards. Tearing at the panels, they gave way exposing the delicate equipment beneath. It burned with a growing intensity as the flammable parts of the components caught fire and added to the growing carnage. The explosion continued its journey through the interior of the power plant. The two engineers were next. The fire had grown enough to envelope them whole, whether they died from heat, trauma, or shock only an autopsy would tell now. The final three watched as the now walls of flame raced towards them at twenty thousand feet per second. They had no time to react. No time for sending any message or indication of their plight. What little life these three Sunarr soldiers enjoyed was extinguished and with them so was the power plant. The explosion now reached the heart of the power plant and the volatile source of energy used to run it.
The explosion was tremendous. The force of it directed outwards. This time the angle of the embankment where Saeb had fallen saved his life as the pressure wave and flames passed over his head. The heavy weapon emplacement however had no such protection and was completely destroyed. The expanding fireball pulled at the air below, forcing it from Saeb's lungs. Deprived of oxygen he lost consciousness and passed out.
18:01 10 November [18:01 10 November GMT]
Outside La Guitarra Mine, Nr. San Simon de Guerrero, 60 miles SW of Mexico City.
Colonel Mike Jackson stood looking at the dome through his binoculars. It was nearing the time. He nodded at the Major who gave the instruction to fire a single test round. The instruction went to the Battalion Commander, a Lieutenant Colonel who issued it to the Captain in charge of one of the tank companies. This was relayed to the second tank platoon and finally to the commander of the tank, a sergeant. The whole process took only a few seconds. The tank commander issued the order to his gunner who aimed by sight as the range finder had difficulty locking on to the dome. He selected a HEAT round and punched the appropriate button. The mechanism whirred as the auto-loader engaged, removing the HEAT round from the magazine, and placing it into the barrel.
'One HEAT round loaded and ready!' The gunner called out.
'Fire!'
The HEAT round, short for Hig
h Explosive Anti-Tank round, exited the end of the tank's barrel at eighteen hundred metres per second. It closed the one-mile distance to the dome's exterior in less than a second. HEAT rounds are designed to punch straight through a tank's armour. It contains a shaped charge, surround by a lining of pure copper. The shell detonates very close to impact, less than two metres. The copper becomes heated to such a high degree it achieves a state of superplasticity. It is this state of superplasticity combined with it travelling at twenty five times the speed of sound, which allows it to erode the armour at the point of contact. As it erodes its way through the armour, its contact area reduces producing a cone shaped hole.
The shell performed flawlessly. It impacted on the skin of the dome, the copper in its superplasticity state made contact with the outside of the dome. It ended there. The skin was still active, the Buckyballs spinning in accordance with the instructions sent from its control centre, they captured the passing Deeth particles and these repelled both the shell and the copper in its superplasticity state. They compacted into a molten disc, which slid harmlessly down the outside of the dome. The battalion's spotter reported this back to the Colonel.
Colonel Jackson looked at the live video feed of the impact. 'Shit, it didn't even scratch it!' He checked his watch, this was the right time, the shield was supposed to be non-operational. The minutes ticked by as he gave the resistance fighters in the camp more time. Five minutes had passed before he called for another round. He watched this closely on the video. The impact looked good, but so too had it before, the operator zoomed in on the impact site. There was no hole, but they could clearly see an indentation. Jeez, even with the power off this stuff is far tougher than a tank, the Colonel observed with a mixture of anger and admiration.
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