The Fall of Io

by Wesley Chu

  Roen shrugged. “His friends said he almost got caught in the open while moving across the parking lot, and the opened trunk was the first hiding place he found. He hid behind a piece of tarp and then they closed it on him.”

  “Just not his night.”

  He grunted. “It is if he’s still breathing.”

  Hekla, Nabin and Pedro were up next. The three of them were masked and dressed like yakuza. They had decided to insert into the main building through the front entrance and attack the yakuza from behind, figuring they would be the force with the superior strength. Once they were inside, Hekla and Pedro would scour the first floor while Nabin covered the upper levels. There was the possibility that the police could win this exchange and that their disguises would betray them, but it was a chance they had to take.

  That relegated Josie and Roen to the perimeter, which everyone assumed would be the safest and easiest part of the mission. Everyone surmised that most of the fighting would occur inside the building. All Roen and Josie had to do was keep the plane grounded. It wasn’t something the two of them shouldn’t be able to handle. Roen chafed at being relegated to auxiliary duty, but it was the right call. He was a distant shadow of who he used to be, but it still bruised his ego.

  The team reached the bottom of the hill and made their way across the field to the fence. To his surprise, they found part of the chain already cut, albeit poorly. The yakuza must have been in a hurry. A little further study revealed that the grass in this area had recently been trampled. There must have been another team of Genjix or yakuza attacking from this side. Someone close by pulled a trigger and then glass shattered. The team fell into a squat. More gunfire, and someone’s dying cry echoed in the night. A dog’s high-pitched whine followed.

  They waited several beats before Roen nodded to Hekla. The team crept through the cut fence and then split apart. Josie and Roen moved through several rows of parked vehicles and made their way west to the back of the base. The sounds of the fighting crescendoed. They reached a transport truck parked in an inner row and paused.

  A police officer lay dead next to the driver’s side and there were glass shards scattered all over the ground. Roen peeked inside the front cab and found a bloodied and injured German Shepherd, whining as it licked its paw. The dog looked up and began to growl.

  He retreated from the poor animal and raged a little. “Those monsters. I’ll make those Genjix assholes pay.”

  He motioned to Josie to continue. They made it a few more meters before a gunfight near the docks erupted, presumably between the yakuza and the police. Josie and Roen dropped to the ground and aimed their rifles at the sounds of battle. He found the action through his scope. A couple of the yakuza had just taken out a squad of police and were about to head into the building.

  “I have a bead on the one on the left.” Josie clicked off the safety, and her finger drifted onto the trigger.

  “Stand down.” Roen put a hand over the scope. “That’s not our mission. Eyes on the prize. Last thing we need to do is get bogged down in a firefight out here while the plane takes off.”

  Asha buzzed in over the comm. “I found the boy. He was snoring in the trunk. You believe that? Anyway, I sent him back to the car. I’m heading up the hill. ETA five minutes. It’s a big hill.”

  “What’s our situation inside?” asked Roen.

  “It’s a zoo,” replied Nabin. “The yakuza and police are going hard at each other. Best thing to do is stay out of their way and find Ella.”

  Josie nudged Roen, and they continued to the west end of the parking lot. They reached a cluster of darkened buildings and crept alongside the furthest structure from the base. The two of them flanked a window opening and glanced in. There was no frame and incidentally nothing inside. The building was completely hollow, just four walls and a leaky roof.

  Roen touched her shoulder and pointed at a silhouette standing on the far side near the corner. He signaled in both directions and they split apart. Josie circled around to the side door while Roen crawled in from the far window.

  She got into position first, creeping through the entrance on the other side and rushing the target. Roen was several seconds late, having a little trouble swinging his leg through the window while holding his rifle.

  Josie dragged the target to the floor and jabbed her rifle into their face. She relaxed. “Target dummy.”

  He helped her up. “Even better. We should be able to get closer to the plane without anyone noticing.”

  They left the empty building and sneaked from cover to cover. They were now in view of the transport. It had moved over from the end of the runway and made a U-turn. A fuel truck approached it from the side. The plane kept its engines running. The rear cargo door began to lower. The plane was obviously not meant to stay on the ground for long.

  “We’re moving in,” said Roen. “How’s it look from up on high?”

  “I’ve got eyes on you, sir,” replied Asha. “I do not have a clear view of the back, but I have clear sights of the area between the transport and buildings, so try to keep the action west.”

  Josie, who was tracking the plane through her scope, held up three fingers. Roen’s hopes rose. That wasn’t too bad, especially if they had the element of surprise. Three visible, probably one or two more inside, including the pilots. All they had to do was take out two in the initial ambush to even up the odds, and then take over the plane.

  “Wait,” hissed Asha sharply. “I have movement coming from the building two over from you. I count five more approaching the plane from the port side. Possibly a patrol.”

  Roen’s hopes sank just as quickly as they rose. Nine versus two were worse odds than if he were to go five rounds in the ring with Cameron, and Roen had not been able to beat his son in a fight since the damn kid was fifteen.

  Roen suddenly really missed his miserable garden. “If I make it out of this alive, I’m going to pave it over and make a basketball court,” he muttered. “Life’s too short to grow asparagus.”

  “Something is not right,” continued Asha. “The new group is approaching the transport in an attack pattern.”

  A crack hammered through the air, and one of the guards at the plane fell. Several more gunshots followed. Within seconds, the airfield had turned into a full-blown battle, all without Roen or Josie firing a shot.

  The two fell back to their hiding place. “What the hell are they?” she shouted.

  He had hoped it was the yakuza, but he needed only a glance to recognize the movements of a professional outfit.

  “It’s Genjix on Genjix violence,” he replied. “I couldn’t be happier. Maybe we should wait them out and let them kill each other.”

  She peeked over the side. “I don’t think we have that luxury. The ones on the plane are already getting overwhelmed. If we want the plane for ourselves, we need to hit them while they’re preoccupied.”

  Roen agreed. “Let’s go.”

  The space between their hiding place and the plane was a good hundred meter stretch of open field. They were sitting ducks, but it would probably be all right as long as no one turned around.

  Roen didn’t make it ten steps out of cover before one of the attackers, who had taken position at the base of the ramp while the others had gone inside the transport, turned and noticed their approach. So much for stealth. The yellow burst of gunfire exploded as the ground near their feet kicked up. Roen and Josie split and ran in opposite directions. The trail of bullets followed him, because that was just his luck.

  He sprinted as fast as his tiring legs could carry him. He considered diving to the ground and returning fire, but he was pretty sure his constant movement right now was the only reason he hadn’t eaten half a dozen slugs. Besides, his eyes weren’t good enough to shoot someone at fifty meters with an automatic rifle. He weaved side to side and had just made it onto the tarmac when a bullet grazed his foot, sending him tumbling forward. He crashed onto the runway and felt
his body crunch along the cement. He finally landed unceremoniously on his side and groaned. He felt as if his skin had just been raked by a cheese grater.

  “Get your ass up, old man,” shouted Josie, hiding on the other side of the tarmac. She had found cover behind a signpost and was trying to pin his attacker down.

  Roen stared in resignation as the burst of the muzzle exploded a chunk of cement inches from his face. The next shot wasn’t going to miss. A crack rang through the air, and then their attacker went down.

  “I got you covered, sir,” Asha’s voice blasted in his ear.

  “Thanks for the assist,” he replied, picking himself up off the ground.

  “Good, then I suggest you stop napping, old man.”

  Roen scowled. Kids had no respect these days. He felt a sharp pain when he put weight on his right leg, but nothing that would prevent him from staying in the fight. It wasn’t like he was throwing many kicks these days anyhow. He limped slightly as he met Josie at the ramp.

  “Are you injured?” she asked.

  Roen kept a brave front. “I’ve hurt myself worse shaving.”

  She grinned. “That’s why I stopped shaving years ago.”

  They crouched again and crept up the ramp to see a firefight waging in the belly of the transport. They stayed close to the floor and snuck from cover to cover. The sound of fighting was erratic. The air was thick and hot, filled with smoke.

  Somewhere in front, a gruff voice with an Indian accent shouted, “Light them up!”

  Another barrage of gunfire followed. Roen and Josie reached several stacks of oil drums tied down on top of a pallet and held their position. He peeked over the side. The original transport crew was desperately holding a center staircase just outside of the cockpit while the attackers were behind cover in the main hold below. As far as he could tell, the defenders were down to the two pilots while the attackers still numbered four.

  He signaled to Josie to go on five, and ticked his fingers down: five, four, three…

  The fighting stopped. Someone called for a ceasefire. Roen hesitated and froze.

  A large man with a gruff voice yelled out in an Indian accent. “That’s the last of them. Secure the plane. Shoot any survivors.”

  Roen cursed under his breath. They had missed their opportunity to take out the Genjix while they were preoccupied with each other. Josie mouthed silently, asking for orders. They had little other choice. Roen held up three fingers, finished the countdown, and then stood up.

  He and Josie opened fire, taking down two of the four attackers before they knew what hit them. The remaining two ducked and disappeared from sight. Josie yelled something and moved forward, also disappearing from view.

  Roen had no choice but to do the same, lest he risk Josie getting flanked. Clutching the rifle close to his body he crept forward, his back rubbing along the side of a wooden pallet. He reached the corner just in time to see a flurry of action on the other side. Josie was locked in close combat, grappling with one of the Genjix. They were spinning in circles, bumping into the walls and containers as they wrestled for her gun.

  Roen was unable to get a clear shot. “Stop dancing, you two,” he muttered. It was too risky. He decided to move in closer. No sooner had Roen left his cover than a flash out of the corner of his eye grew larger. His ribs cracked, and then all of a sudden he was flying through the air.

  A second later, Roen found himself staring up at the ceiling, gasping like a fish flopping in the sand. He tried to raise his head, but his body vetoed the impulse as he struggled to catch his breath. A shadow towered over him.

  A large man with a fierce mustache squinted. Recognition flashed across his face, and he smirked. “I know who you are, Roen Tan. You look a poor shadow to the last time our paths crossed, but I never forget a face. Know that Mayur Kloos is your executioner.” He raised his pistol to Roen’s face.

  A gunshot cracked through the hold, and the man stiffened and stumbled forward. He spun and pointed his pistol to the side and took two more hits to the chest. He managed to return fire and was rewarded with Josie’s cry of pain.

  Roen kicked out, connecting his heel to the side of this Kloos fellow’s knee. He picked himself up off the ground and punched at the guy. That was a mistake. The Genjix, even injured, easily avoided his attack and, with one beefy hand, swatted him in the face. Ears ringing, Roen lunged and grabbed for the pistol.

  He would have loved to say later on that he gave the man a tough fight, but in reality Mayur tossed him around like a rag doll. Three hard shakes later, Roen was flying in the air again, this time landing hard against the metal steps leading to the cockpit, his head bouncing off one as he crashed.

  His body had finally had enough and told his brain to shut down. Roen began to lose consciousness. He heard some distant shouting, more gunshots, his ears rang. Then someone had the audacity to slap him. Roen woke with a start to see Josie leaning over him.

  “Wake up, wake up,” she said, panting heavily.

  “What happened?” His head was woozy and the room spun. He looked to the side and saw Mayur Kloos slumped against the far wall. “Oh, we got him. Hooray us.”

  “You distracted him enough for me to recover and shoot him,” she replied.

  Roen looked Josie over and realized there was blood caked down the left side of her face. Her clothing was also dark and wet. “You look awful.”

  The colonel’s breathing was labored. “He got me pretty good. Shoulder, thigh, chest. My armor absorbed the brunt of it, so I’ll live, I think. I also cut my scalp when he slammed me into the wall. Otherwise,” she grinned, “I feel great.”

  Josie helped him to his feet and then he had to help her stay upright. Together they managed to get up the stairs, past the three bodies of Genjix soldiers, and into the cockpit.

  She collapsed into one of the chairs, her body heaving. She coughed, and blood poured out of her mouth. “I can’t seem to catch my breath.”

  Roen helped tear off her armor and checked for wounds. “Your lung’s collapsed.”

  Asha’s voice crackled in his ear. “Sir, I’ve lost sight of you. Are you in the transport?”

  Roen touched the comm. “Yeah we have control of the plane. The Genjix aren’t going anywhere. Josie’s hurt though. We need to…”

  “You have company coming,” she yelled. “Get out of there now!”

  Roen stood up and looked out of the cockpit window. A small army had emerged from the main building and were making their way across the field toward the transport. They were a mix of police and Genjix operatives. Two of the Genjix near the front were dragging a small slumped figure by the arms. Leading the entire entourage was the unmistakably familiar sight of a tall, good-looking pretty boy.

  “Oh crap,” muttered Roen.

  He went over and tried to pick up Josie. A moan escaped her lips. She shook her head and pushed him away. “Get out of here, Roen Tan. I’ll hold them off at the cockpit as long as I can.”

  “I’m not leaving you.”

  “We’ll never make it out together. I’m hurt and you’re old.” She coughed. More blood poured down her chin. “You’ve done your time. Go enjoy retirement. You’ve earned it. It’s been an honor, sir. Say hi to the Keeper for me. Tell her I’ve always admired her.”

  “Don’t you dare die on me, Josie. We’re riding off into the sunset together.” Roen clenched his fist and shouldered his rifle. He had never abandoned anyone in his entire career, he wasn’t going to start now. “Nabin, where are you? What’s your ETA?”

  “We’re trying to fight our way out of the building. There’s still a ton of gangsters running around the base,” Nabin called back. “We’re not going to be able to make it to you in time.”

  Roen considered his options, and then came to the conclusion that he really had none. At least not one that he was willing to live with, retired or not. He picked up Josie’s rifle and put it in her hands. He then checked his own and rel
oaded. Roen positioned himself behind cover next to the doorway.

  “We’ll hold them off as long as we can, Nabin. You’d better hurry, son, or you’ll have my wife and kid to answer to.”

  Chapter Thirty-Six

  The Final Standing

  Ella and I devised a plan to leave Australia. The Academy had offered to fly her anywhere in the world. I had at first recommended returning to India, which was now a solidly Genjix country.

  Ella wanted to strike off on her own, away from both the Prophus and the Genjix. Her original destinations had been Namibia or Tanzania. Fearing to be taken too far from my original goal, I proposed a neutral country, but one still close to the Genjix.

  We settled on Japan.

  Shura was running out of people to kill. She retracted her blade from the throat of one of the police officers and wiped it on his shirt. He sagged and slid down, a streak of red staining the wall. Roxani was at the other side of the room, checking the bodies and double-tapping anyone still breathing.

  The two had descended upon the police from the rear while they were preoccupied with the yakuza up front. Shura and Roxani had swept the entire upper levels of the main facility, and had yet to come across Rurik or Ella Patel. Shura was beginning to wonder if her rival had captured the girl and slipped through her grasp.

  “Kloos,” she called. “What is your status with the transport?”

  His voice crackled. “We’re in the main hold. Should have it secured in a few minutes.”

  “No survivors,” she replied.

  “Your will, Adonis.” Kloos shouted so loudly it hurt her ears. “Light them up!” The sound of battle renewed over the comm.

  As long as the plane stays grounded, our quarry is close by. It is equally in Sabeen’s interest to see to the welfare of the Receiver as it is in yours.