LETHAL STRIKE
BROKEN EARTH BOOK 2
By Nick S. Thomas
Copyright © 2018 by Nick S. Thomas
Published by Swordworks Books
All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media, and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of various products referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication/use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners.
PART 1
Prologue
Someone, or something, has attacked the small town of Wood Point. Cut of from the outside world, the small community has no idea what is going on across the country. When an elite team led by Master Sergeant Jack Ross was sent in to investigate a missing Army platoon on the outskirts, Ross finds himself fighting for survival alongside the locals.
Within days of the first encounter the town had fallen. A handful of school students and one of their teachers managed to make it out. Along with an outcast prepper who lives on the outskirts of town, the few remaining soldiers of the training exercise, and Ross’ team, they must fight to survive. A downed Air Force pilot provides their only glimpse into what might be happening.
All attempts to leave the town have failed, and the next town over is empty, too. Those who resisted the mysterious enemy were left dead in the streets. The survivors of Wood Point look to Jack Ross to lead and keep them alive. When they discover internment camps hastily set up in remote areas, they know they have to do everything to save their fellow townsfolk. A well-orchestrated assault on one such facility was nothing short of a great success, but paid for in a terrible price.
Bobby Olsen, one of Ross’ oldest friends and comrades made the ultimate sacrifice. The raid had been their first real success, but what will the enemy’s response be? They must keep fighting, not just for their own survival, but the freedom of those still held by the enemy. Who are they? What do they want? Ross must decide between seeking information and seeking revenge.
Chapter 1
“This is a terrible idea, you know that right?” Ortiz asked.
“Yeah, I know,” replied Ross.
They were standing in the middle of a clearing in the woods. Though wearing their armour, they carried no weapons of any kind, and were in plain sight.
“When I get my ass blown off, it’s gonna be your fault, right?”
“Yeah.”
“Just so you know that. This wasn’t on me.”
“You volunteered for it.”
“Sure. I assumed you’d be the one watching from a distance, not out here with your ass on the line.”
“So you’d do it differently?”
“Hell, yeah I would. You think this is my idea of fun?”
Ross couldn’t help but smile. Ortiz liked to fool around, but he was always there when needed.
“You really believe they won’t shoot if we aren’t armed.”
“It seems to be the pattern so far, yeah. Anyone that’s taken up arms against them has been hit hard. But the folks who didn’t have weapons and didn’t fight back. They were rounded up.”
“Like cattle.”
“Pretty much.”
“Maybe they don’t mean us any harm.”
“Bullshit,” snarled Ross.
They heard the roar of an engine in the sky as the enemy closed in on them. That is what they were, the enemy. Nobody really knew who or what they were, or even where they had come from. In many ways that was the most terrifying feature of the invaders, the unknown. The aircraft soared into view, silhouetted against the early morning sky. It came to an abrupt halt, hovering over them. Ross pretended to panic as he ran towards the woods, and Ortiz was quick to follow.
“Stop, and you will not be harmed!” a voice rang out from the vessel.
They froze after managing a few paces, Ross holding up his hands as if to surrender, or at least show he was not armed.
“You don’t think we should have thought this through a little more?”
Ross shook his head and tried to ignore the question.
“Back away,” he whispered.
They moved slowly towards the edge of the clearing, giving space for the ship to set down as it began its descent. It was a small vessel, but it filled almost half the small clearing amongst the dense forest, kicking up dirt and debris into their faces. Ortiz grimaced, but Ross kept his eye on the enemy craft as it touched down.
“When I say, you know what to do.”
“Damn right I do, but what are we waiting for?”
“Them.”
The ramp dropped down, and a dozen of the smaller robot-like soldiers stormed out from the vessel.
“Now!”
He ran so quickly that Ortiz was left standing before the enemy when he realised what was happening. He quickly turned to follow and ran with everything he had.
“Why aren’t they firing at us?”
“They want us alive.”
They soldiers were giving chase. The foliage was getting thicker, and they heard the voice of the enemy shouting for them to stop once more. On a ridge ahead, they saw more of their own people, sitting casually.
“Incoming!” Ross yelled.
Ramos was in charge of them, hauling one of the others back as they too ran the same as Ross and Ortiz.
“They’re still coming!”
Ortiz shot a panicked glance back before upping his pace. They suddenly burst out into a clearing and a sharp fall down to a rock canyon.
“Shit!”
They came to a halt and turned back to face their attackers. Ross drew something small from his webbing, so small his fist entirely concealed it. They waited for their pursuers, but didn’t have to wait long. The trees rustled as they rushed out, their weapons not even raised, as if they perceived no threat at all.
“You are coming with us,” one of them ordered in its monotonous robotic tone.
“Fat chance!”
Ross held up his right hand and pushed his thumb down onto a small trigger of the device he was holding. An explosion burst out before them. Five of the enemy were blown apart as a buried explosive ignited. One body was blown forward and crashed into Ortiz, sending them both plunging over the edge. Ross’ eyes widened as he leapt after them. He slid across coarse rock and caught Ortiz’s hand at the last moment as they slid to a halt, almost both tumbling over together.
There was a tranquil silence as Ortiz looked down at the huge drop below, and back up to Ross with a look of disbelief. "You’re gonna get me killed," he said, half jokingly.
Gunfire erupted all around them. Tracer fire was flashing overhead, and Ross kept his head down as he held Ortiz there, dangling over the edge. He turned his head enough to see the enemy. They were trying to return fire, but being cut down as if standing before a firing squad.
"You gonna help me up?"
"Just a little longer!"
Ross remained hunkered down. He had no weapons on him, same as Ortiz. He had to rely on their team to go to work, and they did with brutal efficiency. The enemy soldiers were cut apart, all for one that beat a hasty retreat towards the craft it had arrived on. Shots flashed through the trees as they tried to finish the last remaining enemy soldier, but he was gone. Ross hauled Ortiz up. He rolled over, gasping
in relief. He lay there for a moment, flat out.
"Next time, I'm carrying the detonator, and you're the one going over the edge," he muttered.
"Still alive, aren't you?"
"Just about."
Ross sat up, but stayed down on one knee, taking a moment to catch his breath.
"We can't keep doing this."
"What?"
"These close-run things. Our luck is gonna run out eventually."
"Luck?"
"Damn right. You think I survived that for any other reason than luck? If that thing had hit me square on, I'd be down there at the bottom of the canyon with it. Ain't no way I'd have survived that fall."
"But you did, didn't you? You're still here."
An explosion rang out at the clearing they'd arrived in. Smoke rose up from the site as the enemy craft went up in flames, and Ross smiled.
"You see; it’s all going to plan."
Ortiz didn't look convinced, and before he could reply there was a roar of engines as two more enemy vessels soared into view.
"Run!"
Ortiz didn't need to be told twice.
"Christ you really do want to get me killed!"
As the engines roared overhead, he kept looking up at them, as if expecting them to fire on them, and so he wasn't keeping track of his footing. His toe caught on a rock protruding from the ground and sent him flying into the air. He crashed down hard, rolling to a stop.
Ross looked back, sighing in disappointment as he grabbed him and helped him up.
"Come on, quit jerking around!"
"Sorry if the two gunships chasing us down give me cause for concern! They really want us bad, huh?"
"They want everyone. The whole lot of us."
"And you never stopped to think why!"
"Sure, still not got any good ideas. What about you?"
Ortiz said nothing. They turned a bend and ran at speed, but both could see the walls of the canyon climbing around them. They were rapidly approaching a dead end. But trees overhanging the opening above meant the enemy couldn't follow them in, at least not by air.
"How the hell did I let you talk me into this?"
They finally stopped, realising they could go no further. They were both panting from the fast run and stress of the situation.
"You didn't. I told you what you were gonna do, and you did it."
"So you accept it's your fault when this all goes to hell?"
"If it all goes to hell, we won't be around long enough to worry about it."
"That's comforting."
"You want comfort, you shouldn't have joined the Army."
They both smiled. For all Ortiz's complaining, it was more him playing the fool than anything else. They watched the two enemy craft put down in the clearing they had recently passed through.
"So maybe this wasn't the best idea, huh?"
Twenty enemy soldiers poured into the canyon. Ross once more had his hands up, but they were truly empty this time.
"How confident are you about them not firing, huh?"
"Fairly," he replied with a smile.
They stopped ten metres short and spread out. Their weapons were lowered, as if perceiving no threat. One had the marking of an officer, like the one Ross fought during the rescue operation.
"Your trap has failed. There are too few of you to stand against us. Surrender, and you will not be harmed," ordered the officer.
Ross just smiled.
"This can end peacefully if you do not resist further."
"It's cute."
"What?"
"That you thought that was the trap."
The officer's look turned to concern. It looked up and around the valley, but it was too late. A grenade landed behind him, blowing four of his soldiers apart. It was followed by a brutal salvo of fire as Donny and a dozen others rose up from cover all around them. Ross jumped down behind a boulder where he found his rifle awaiting him. He locked it into his shoulder and rose up to see it was a turkey shoot. Six of the enemy were still standing, including the officer. They were trying to fall back, but they were surrounded. The few shots they fired back were panicked and poorly aimed as they were cut apart. Another grenade landed among them, killing two more.
Donny ran past Ross as he enthusiastically went after them. He was looking for blood, and Ross understood why. He wanted it, too. But he was disciplined enough to stay calm. He took aim at the officer, firing a round into each of his legs so that he fell flat. Donny opened fire on another, hitting it with three shots in the back. The salvo of fire from all sides was relentless as the enemy were cut down with ease. One craft lifted off, trying to escape, but was struck by a grenade before it had got more than two metres off the deck. It veered off and crashed into a pile of rocks.
The last of the robotic soldiers were shot down with ease, and Ross finally stepped out from cover. Donny was standing over the wounded officer.
"What happened to using natural cover?"
"We did, until we didn't need to."
"You let anger get the better of you, Donny."
"So what if I did?"
"That's how you get yourself and others killed. Never underestimate the enemy. That’s just what they did here, and look what it cost them."
"You can't win. Stop fighting now before you get all of these people killed," said the wounded soldier on the ground.
Like the previous officer they had encountered, this one seemed far more alive than the robotic soldiers it resembled. It was lying flat, unable to get up, its weapon lying beside it. Ross kicked the weapon further away and grabbed it by one arm, hauling it up against a rock. It was sitting up and able to look at him. The rest of the shooters closed in around them. Emma was among them. Many were townsfolk they had rescued from the camp a week before. They had smiles on their faces. For many of them it had been their first combat, and there was not a single casualty among them.
Ross knew that was a luxury they could not always enjoy, but he wasn't going to take that away from them. They needed this win.
"They did well," he said to Donny.
The young soldier had been an important bridge between them and the town’s people. Being both one of them and a soldier. It was a lot more responsibility than anyone would expect to put on him, but it was necessary. Ross and his people were strangers. A tight knit community that didn't care much for anything from outside their own town and people. He understood that. It was little different to the bond he had with his team. Yet Donny was already overstepping his position.
"So, what now?"
Ross opened his mouth to try and put him in his place, but it was too late.
"We took one of these apart before and found nothing, but this one's different, isn't it?" Ortiz asked.
Ross sighed, his opportunity lost. The enemy officer was looking at each of them, as if studying them. It did indeed look more like a living creature than the machine-like soldiers, in both the eyes and body language.
"Is it judging us, or weighing us up?"
Ross ignored them and addressed the officer directly.
"This is our country, what are you doing here?"
"It was your country."
"Was?" Donny shouted.
"Your government is gone. Your army is scattered. Soon this world will be under our control. You can live as we tell you, or you can die."
"Screw you!" Donny lifted his rifle to fire, but Ross pushed his weapon down.
"No, get your emotions in check," he whispered.
"What? You heard what it said."
"Sure did. Don't think I'm not angry, too, but we just learnt more in a minute than we have from them since all this craziness began."
"You want to know what we want from you?" The officer had clearly heard them, despite their whispers. Everyone was silent. Desperately wanting to know more.
"All right, you have our attention, speak," said Ross.
"You can't trust that thing," protested Donny.
"Maybe not, but I'll hear wha
t it has to say." He looked back to the officer, "What do you want?"
"Everything."
Ortiz laughed, but the officer didn't seem to see the funny side.
"This world you have, it is wealthy beyond almost any I have ever known, and yet you waste and squander it. All of this, and you have barely made it into space? Pathetic!"
"And you have?" Donny yelled.
"And where exactly are you from?"
The soldier ignored Ortiz’s question.
"You can comply and live, or fight and you will die."
"Then I guess we're done here," replied Ross.
"What?" Donny asked.
"You want to crack its head open and see if there is anything in there, go for it."
"Wait!" the soldier yelled.
But it was too late. The stock of Donny's rifle smashed into the top of its head and cracked it open. Fluid poured out. It was red, but lighter and more translucent than any blood they'd seen, more like a well-aged wine.
"Well, that's...different."
Ortiz approached the body and prised its metal skull apart where it had been cracked. Donny looked disgusted, as if he'd expected to find it was nothing more than a machine, like the others. More of the fluid drained out, and they could see what looked like living tissue beneath.
"A living brain inside a mechanical body?" Ross asked.
"Fascinating." Ramos stepped in beside them.
"And disgusting," Emma added.
"So I guess we know who’s giving the orders," Ramos said.
"But this tech, it's still far beyond anything we've ever seen," replied Ortiz.
"What did it say? It didn't talk about our country, but our world?"
"What are you saying, Donny?" asked Ramos.
"That they aren't..."
"No way, no way!" Emma yelled.
"Think about it. An enemy this strong, this advanced, it ain't from Earth."
"How could you know that, Donny? How much of the world have you seen?"
"We've seen plenty," replied Ross.
"Yeah, all of it? Governments develop weapons in secret all the time. Even the kinds you wouldn't know about."
"She's not wrong," replied Ramos.
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