Payne was tracking the craft with his MGL, but they all knew how hard a shot would be at the speed they were travelling.
“No, save it!” Ross shouted across to him.
They looked back to the parked trucks. The crew of the anti-aircraft guns were fighting to clear a jam. Travers leapt onto the other and took a seat behind a quad machine gun mount. The enemy ship came about for another run.
“Crazy son of a bitch,” said Donny.
“He’s gonna get himself killed,” said Ramos.
They could do nothing but watch in both horror and awe as the Sergeant continued on. He was moving quickly, and yet seemed as calm as could be. Shots struck the ground ahead of the trucks as Travers traversed the weapon mount about, finally getting the guns online. The muzzles lit up as the four guns spat out dozens of rounds. An explosion ripped through the craft above them, and it veered off, descending into a tree in a fiery ball. It struck the ground and ignited with a massive ground-shaking explosion, flames and smoke bursting out into the sky. The third craft veered off sharply and abandoned its attack as it tried to flee. Its engines roared as it tried to accelerate away, but Travers was unrelenting. He turned the guns on the fleeing ship and opened fire. The engines of the craft were ripped apart, and it too went down as hard as the other two.
Lee leapt to his feet and up and embankment to marvel at the scene of the final craft crashing down into oblivion. “Woohoo!”
“Got to hand it to them, that was pretty badass,” said Ramos.
Ross nodded in agreement as he looked to the skinhead Sergeant getting up from the guns. He looked calm, as if it were any other normal day. Ross began to wonder what kind of man he really was. Had he really taken all this in his stride, or was it all an act? Maybe it didn’t matter, but it weighed heavily on him. But he looked up to the clear skies and breathed a sigh of relief that it was over.
"Feels good to have someone else to shoulder some of the work, doesn't it?"
Ross nodded in agreement, having some support made all the difference.
"That's how we get shit done!" Travers yelled from the top of the truck. The crowd cheered in support, casting their weapons joyously into the air.
"Good luck changing their minds now."
Ross agreed, but he was still going to give it a shot.
"Did you see that? That was goddamn beautiful. Tell me that was not the most beautiful thing you ever saw?" Donny rushed by. He was leaping and bounding, bubbling over with excitement and energy.
"You want to take that joy away from them?"
"If it saves their lives, yes," Ross replied grimly.
Travers was waving his hands in an animated fashion, calling all to gather around him.
"This isn't gonna go the way you want it."
"No, I shouldn't think it will."
"And if some of our people want to follow him?"
"I ain't stopping them."
"Really?"
"I don't want to see them get hurt, but I'm not their boss either. I'm not in charge of anything anymore. If people want to follow me, fine, but I’m not begging or forcing the issue. We all fight as equals in this."
"But we aren't equal," replied Payne as he caught up.
"Nope, this guy is gonna get people hurt," replied Ortiz as they drew near to the group. The mob wanted to hear from only one man. Their hero of the hour, and Travers was more than happy to oblige.
"You see that! These Skinnies might think they can bully families in their homes, but when it comes to a real fight, they don't hold up!"
The crowd cheered once more. There was energy in the air. They felt unstoppable. Ross knew what that felt like, but also how dangerous it could be in the wrong hands.
"Fifty kilometres, that way! Fifty kilometres is all. Right now they don't know we are coming. I doubt for a minute they believe it's even possible. That anyone would have the balls or the means to do it. Maybe if they knew what happened here this morning they might think again. That's why we ain't gonna let word of this reach them. We have a plan, we have the means, the firepower, and the balls to get the job done; so what are we waiting for?"
"Sergeant! If I may?" Ross asked.
"Speak your mind, please," he replied in a friendly tone.
"Give me six hours to look further into this. To plan something that I think will reduce the risk to loss of life as much as can be."
"And lose the element of surprise? That’s our biggest asset, along with this fine body of well-armed soldiers. No, we're heading out right now. All who want to join us load up! It's time to kick some alien ass!"
The group roared with excitement, rushing forward to board the trucks. Donny and Lee both looked to Ross for his approval to go.
"You do what you want to do," he replied in disappointment.
"And you'll still be here for us when we return?"
"We're in this together, Donny, to whatever end."
Lee cried out with excitement as they ran on with a few more from their group. Tucker, the largest of them showed no signs of moving.
"Not you?"
"If they want to go looking for trouble, Lee, let 'em. We get enough right where we are," he replied solemnly.
"Ain't that the truth?"
"Ross!" Travers called over to him as the engine of his truck fired up.
"What?"
"You’ve got to fight some time, Ross. Can't keep running forever. You don't win a war by running away from it!"
"Nor by dying!"
"Everyone dies. Not everyone wins!"
He banged on the roof of the truck, and smoke belched from the exhausts as it lurched forward. Ross wanted to wish him luck, but he felt angry that they were being so foolhardy. The two brothers had climbed into the same vehicle. It didn't feel right to him. After all they'd been through together, for them to be riding off with Travers in charge.
"Don't get yourself killed!"
"I generally try not to!" Donny smiled.
Chapter 5
"Ever sat behind one of these beasts and really had some fun?" Travers tapped on the M45 mount.
"I guess my grand daddy might have, fighting the Nazis," replied Donny.
"What? That's how old this thing is?" Lee asked.
"Don't be put off by her age. This girl right here has some good mileage on her, and she'll get you out of all kinds of trouble."
"How is this stuff even still around?"
"You kidding? We used to take this up the range every month, blowing the shit out of cars and well, anything we could find."
"And now it's back in action, back to war?" Donny was amazed.
"Don't underestimate some of this old gear. It might not be as shiny and flashy as some gear you see on the news, but it'll get the job done. A whole lot more reliable and easier to service, too."
Lee looked half convinced.
"Don't worry, these Brownings, they're still in service today. You can't beat 'em. A hundred years of kicking ass."
"No replacement for Ma Deuce. Fifty cal will put a hole in just about anything you can imagine," replied Travers.
"And probably a few things standing behind it," added Donny.
"Here, take a seat. I want you on the gun when we go in."
"What?"
"We’ve got a lot of firepower. In theory, you shouldn't need to do anything but watch the show. But should we see any birds in the sky, you'll be here to take them down. Don't worry, you won't be alone." He pointed to the other gun in the truck ahead of them. But Donny remembered it jamming at the very worst of times, and realised how much responsibility was being placed on him.
"Sights, triggers. Down there you have control of elevation, depression, traverse. Any jams and my man here will sort you out. Lee, is it?"
Lee couldn't even get his words out. He was excited and terrified all at once as he looked out at the thunderous column making its way towards a large-scale battle. Or the largest one he'd ever seen.
"All right, you’re a spotter for Donny. You keep
your eyes peeled in all directions for whatever might come at us, whether that’s an attack coming in from the air, or craft lifting off from the facility to escape or engage us. Against air attack you are the most important thing we have, and the biggest target. As I said, I hope there'll be no need to get this old girl working, but you never know what's gonna go down. You got it?"
"Yes, Sir," replied Lee.
Donny reached over and punched him hard in the arm.
"Sergeant, Sergeant," he gasped.
"That's more like it. Now there ain't gonna be no stopping. No checks or nothing. When we reach the target, we're gonna roll in on there and flatten everything, so you best be ready for that. Ross might think we're rushing into this, but don't think for a moment it hasn't been thought through."
"He had a point though, didn't he?"
"He's a smart soldier, Donny. Given different circumstances his way would have been by far the best way to go. But time is a luxury we don't have. When you're a small clandestine operation that can work under the radar, you can afford to do things the way he wants to do them. But that's not what we have here. We have an army. We aren't a specialist team for precision strikes. A blunt instrument, a wrecking ball, that's what we are, and that's the way we must play this. We play to our strengths."
Everyone fell silent, mentally preparing for what was to come. Travers had gone to the front of the truck to look out ahead. Lee kept checking his weapon, ammunition, and clothing. He wanted to make sure everything was perfect, as he would do before a game. In some ways this felt like that, yet when he thought about the consequences of failure, it was terrifying. It was all over his face. Donny knew how he felt, as he'd been through it. The difference was he'd been trained to get through it. He tried to imagine how much harder it would be for his brother. He reached out and put a hand on his shoulder. Lee initially recoiled, assuming he was being punched again, but soon relaxed.
"We're gonna be fine."
"It’s easy to say that, sitting on those cannons."
"Hey, we're going to the same place."
"I know, but I wish Ross was with us."
"We can do this. Ross is a hell of a fighter, but these guys have been kicking ass all over. We'll see him again soon, and when he sees how much these guys kick butt, I'm sure he'll change his tone."
"Really? You think that's possible?"
"We aren't the only ones who have to adjust to all this. He's used to running an elite team on small ops, and now he’s had all this thrust on him. It'll take him some time to get over it all, but I know he'll come around. It’s not easy trusting people you don't know."
"But you trust these guys?"
"I do now. That attack, the three craft that came for us, where would we be this morning if it wasn't for them?"
"They'd probably never have found us if we didn't have this lot parked on the lawn."
"Of course they would have. They always do. At least this way we have a fighting chance."
"And him, what do you make of him?" He pointed to Travers.
"I think he's a little nuts, but he has zero fear. We need a soldier like that, a leader like that. Maybe Ross could learn a few things from him."
"I'd keep that to yourself."
"Yeah, no shit."
"This is it!" Travers roared with excitement.
They were coming up over a ridge, waiting and watching with anticipation. The truck came over the peak and dropped down the far side, revealing the enemy base before them.
"Fuck me," Donny gasped, realising the full extent of it.
"That is goddamn massive!" Lee yelled.
Travers looked a little concerned as he surveyed the scene. It was clear he was in doubt of what to do, but within seconds he'd made his decision. He lifted the radio handset at the back of the cab.
"Attack, attack, attack!"
"This is it, this is really happening," said Lee in disbelief.
They could see dozens of wheeled vehicles lined up in the facility ahead, with at least fifty enemy soldiers on the ground, and more pouring out from buildings within the compound. Five-metre steel frame barriers rose up all around the base that had to be the size of six football pitches or more. The scene suddenly lit up with tracer as machine guns opened up from a dozen of the vehicles. They were supported by rifle fire. It was a deafening constant fire that was mesmerising. Explosions ripped through the complex as vehicles and buildings were riddled with bullets, and many went up in flames.
Explosions rang out as the fire hit two different power sources. A siren wailed loudly, but was barely audible over the incredible salvo of fire. Lee looked at his brother in astonishment. Neither of them had seen anything like it. Not even on a range. Yet Travers and the rest of them seemed to be taking it in their stride. The Sergeant was firing as they continued forward, hitting the guards on the towers above them. A Stryker hit the main gate at high speed and blew right through it. The convoy burst into the camp, the soldiers inside rushing about, looking for weapons or fleeing. Their truck slid to a halt as the entire convoy spread out and came to a halt. Those atop the vehicles were firing in every direction.
"It's a goddamn turkey shoot!" Travers shouted.
He was firing back and forth all around the truck, but not wildly. The shots found their mark. Explosions rang out. A shot returned back at them and put a hole through the truck beside Lee. He was horrified. Travers heard it and looked over, laughing.
“Dodged a bullet there!”
Lee didn’t see the funny side. He looked back to the carnage as it was unfolding. Enemy soldiers were being cut down in every direction. None could withstand the onslaught. Grenades ignited, and heavy machine guns continued to echo out all around. The attack was nothing short of a decisive victory. Donny was feeling pumped.
“Feels great, doesn’t it? Giving them a taste of their own material?” Donny yelled to his brother.
He was still a little stunned from his near-death experience, leaving him feeling painfully aware of his own mortality, although the slaughter they were witnessing did indeed ignite a passion inside him. He was enjoying the show.
“See? This is the way it should be!”
As Donny said it, they saw the top of the tallest tower prise open, and large mechanical doors retracted. “Well, this can’t be good.”
“Shit,” Travers said as they watched a turret rise up from the structure. It had two large barrels protruding from its dome-shaped construction. It began to pivot and depress to take aim at one of the Strykers.
“Do something!”
“Already on it, Lee!” Donny brought the M45 guns online. He paused for a moment, checked his aim through the huge anti-aircraft gun sight, and squeezed the trigger. The guns roared to life in a deafening salvo, rocking the truck. Travers spun around in shock, almost collapsing over the side of the vehicle as the guns flashed beside him. Bullet casings clattered on the steel truck bed as hundreds of rounds smashed into the turret. It finally burst into flames and toppled from the building top, crushing a vehicle and several soldiers below. Cheers and cries of joy rang out as the rest of them celebrated the incredible scene of destruction of the enemy assets.
"Not bad!" Travers called out.
They were partially deafened by the tremendous noise of the quad machine guns, and Donny's hands shook from the adrenaline pumping through his body. Lee slapped him on the shoulder, and he almost leapt out of his skin.
"Easy now, bro, you nailed those assholes!"
They watched in astonishment as Traver's troops ran amok through the facility, cutting down all they could find. Neither Donny nor his brother felt bad for them. They didn't see them as soldiers. They were machines. Killing machines sent to take what was theirs, including their lives. Travers hadn't even left the truck, nor was he firing at any targets. He was standing tall and admiring the work of his soldiers.
"You see; this is what it can be like. We don't need to hide in holes and run from this enemy. We can take 'em. We can beat them, and we can
live like kings!"
There was nobody to hear his words except Donny and Lee as the others went about their work, but they knew his show was entirely for them. He rested against the cab of the truck and addressed them directly.
"Ross. I bet he’s a good man and a fine soldier. He has to be to have gotten you all through this. But he’s used to fighting a whole different kind of war. I've seen his type, more than a few times. He’s a machine and a finer soldier than I will ever be, but he’s a cog in the machine. Set him a task with the might of the US Army at his back, and he can get the job done."
Donny looked put out, but Lee wasn't bothered. Travers took note and took a deep breath, choosing his next words very carefully.
"We need Ross. We desperately need fighters like him. But you two, you can be just like him. You can achieve all that he can, and more. He has the skills and training you can only dream of, but if you come with us, you can be where you're needed most. Getting valuable work done. You can both fight. I know that now. I want you to come with us, to fight with us."
"And Ross?"
"I want him, too, Donny. But that's his choice. I'm not here to fight with our own kind. There’re too few of us out here fighting back. If he won't join us, so be it. But it would be a crying shame."
Explosions and gunfire still rang out at their backs as they listened to what felt like a headhunting interview. But it was beginning to die down. Donny climbed out of from the seat of the weapon mount and leant over the edge, considering everything he was hearing and seeing. He'd been loyal to Ross for good reason, but this felt like a game changer.
"Come on, look at us. We aren't running and hiding anymore. We're kicking ass. Doesn't it feel good?" Lee asked his brother.
"Everyone loves winning, and that's what we're here to do. We're not trying to hold out for a few extra days of life. We're gonna win this war. Trust me. But we're only going to win it if people like you two stand up and fight for it."
Lethal Strike Page 12