by J. G. Martin
Even worse, how was Tom going to report his failure and the death of three of his men? The General would not be happy. The thoughts of rewards were gone, replaced with thoughts of possible punishments. He looked at Wu, hoping that the other channels were open and he could call for the helicopter. But the communications expert shook his head grimly indicating the communications were still down.
Tom looked at the faces of his men as they watched the boat fade into the distance. They were angry and frustrated, just like he was. This should have been a simple ambush, a maneuver they had executed successfully dozens of times before. But this one man had managed to not only escape them, but kill three of them during his flight. And he killed them so easily it was as if he was a man amongst children. They had even had him cornered in the marina at the start of the ambush. Yet he had managed to escape the fiery conflagration and evade them, performing superhuman feats along the way.
Tom vowed to himself that he would never be caught unprepared again. This man was something special and they should have treated it that way. Waiting until the Cartel goons had left and taking out the chopper first had been textbook; but that had been a mistake. Next time he had a shot to kill Major Derek Storm; he wouldn’t hesitate, no matter the consequences.
“We will get him.” Tom assured his angry troops with an air of finality. “Whatever it takes, we won’t rest until that man is dead.”
The vigorous nods of agreement from his men told him he had hit a nerve. This was no longer just a mission. It was personal now and they would never stop until he was dead or they were. Now all he had to do was convince the General to let them stay on the mission.
Chapter 19
June 20, 2029
Everglades National Park
Rora breathed a sigh of relief as they pulled Derek onto the boat. He had shown up exactly where they had been told he would. Miraculously he seemed barely injured. He had blood all over his clothes, but little of it seemed to be his and he wasn’t even breathing hard. That should have been surprising given the amount of ground he had covered in such a short time and how far he had swum so quickly, but the genetic alterations they had performed on him had made him a superior physical specimen.
“Are you ok?” She asked as the boat headed out into the Intracoastal Waterway.
“Other than a small bullet hole I’m good.” He replied as he gave a mocking salute to the troops at the water’s edge.
They fired at the fleeing boat, but they were too far away to hit anything. Even at that distance, Rora could see the anger on the soldier’s faces. She was sure they were frustrated for not catching them, but it seemed like more. Derek must have done something to really piss them off; which would be par for the course with him.
“What happened?” She asked quietly.
He laughed. “After I covered your escape, they had me pinned down in the marina store. So I created a distraction to cover my escape as I swam across the cove. I figured they couldn’t follow in their armor and it would give me a head start.”
“Let me guess. You blew up the fuel tanks at the marina?” Rora asked almost sarcastically.
Derek smiled. “You got it. Stick with what works. They weren’t fooled for long, but it did get me enough time to get to the other shore and start running. They were quick to follow. I had the Voice jam their long range communications so they couldn’t call in the chopper and then radio for you to come pick me up here. Good thing the phone and the device are waterproof.”
Rora had been surprised by the radio suddenly coming to life as they had raced away from the marina and up the coast. Barry, the man from the couple they had rescued had been driving the boat while she and his wife checked on the scientists. Two had been hit by bullets during the frantic escape. She and Liana had been treating them with the first aid kit they found on board when the radio suddenly crackled with static.
Then a voice. “Rora. Are you there?”
It had taken her a few seconds to realize she recognized the voice. It was The Voice, Derek’s supposed employer. How he had gotten the exact frequency of their radio and was communicating directly with them she didn’t know. But he was probably going to help. He seemed to be on their side, but she wasn’t so sure. A mysterious man on the other end of a phone who had access to satellites and other intelligence that was supposedly only accessible by the Collective. It was very suspicious. Derek may trust him but she didn’t.
But she had still jumped up and grabbed the radio’s microphone and replied. “I’m here.”
“Good. Now listen carefully.” The Voice had instructed. “Major Storm is evading the Red Berets and making his way towards the coast. I will give you some coordinates and you can pick him up there. Do you understand?”
“I understand.” She had snapped, angry at being patronized. “Is that it? Nothing else on how Derek is doing?”
“I’m jamming their communications so they cannot call for the chopper or any other back up. So they are on their own against the Major. No one is after you so you should be able to slip in and get him and get away, leaving them trapped on shore.” The Voice had replied calmly.
“But he is outnumbered ten to one and they have armor and heavy weapons…” Rora had worried aloud.
“Sounds like the odds are in his favor then.” The Voice had responded smoothly.
Was that a joke Rora wondered? She had been taken aback for a minute; The Voice had demonstrated nothing other than calm professionalism bordering on disinterest thus far. Could he actually have a sense of humor? She almost missed the rest of what he said because she was so surprised. The Voice quickly gave her the coordinates before he cut the transmission. Rora had memorized them and plugged them into the boat’s GPS. Barry had given her a questioning look but she had just shrugged in response.
“Let’s go pick Derek up.” She had told him.
And as it turned out, The Voice had been right. Derek had been just fine and had made their rendezvous without a problem. He was on board dripping wet and his clothes stained with blood, but he was smiling and seemed genuinely happy. That was a little disturbing. She had noticed he seemed to be enjoying their frequent battles and escapes, almost as if he enjoyed killing people. Not that she was a psychiatrist but that seemed to indicate psychopathic tendencies. That had been a reported side effect of Project SuPERHUMAAN. She would have to watch that carefully.
“Are you hurt?” Rora asked, gesturing at the blood that stained his clothes.
“I took a bullet wound to my leg early in the fight, but it was a through and through and it already stopped bleeding. Most of this is theirs, my vest stopped the rest. I had to get up close and personal to kill a few of them during the escape. I can provide the blow by blow if you like.” He said with a grin.
That had caused the scientists and the couple to stare at him with barely disguised horror. Rora could see they were starting to think Derek was a monster and quickly changed the subject.
“Who were those guys?” She asked.
“Red Berets. The elite special forces of the U.S.T.G. Killing those teams of FedPol commandoes must have convinced them to get serious.” Derek explained.
“Wait. You killed teams, plural, of FedPol commandoes by yourselves?” Barry asked in disbelief.
“They aren’t as badass as you’ve heard.” Derek answered. “They are used to bullying people and using superior force to overwhelm unprepared opponents. They count on their reputations to intimidate their opponents.”
“And you just killed several elite special forces soldiers in hand to hand combat?” Barry continued, still stunned by the revelations.
“It’s not that big a deal.” Derek replied more subdued. “I used to be one of them before they exiled me. I have the same training. But I’ve been surviving in the wastelands for years, so I’m way more experienced than they are. And I know a lot more nasty tricks.”
Barry seemed satisfied with the answers, but Rora knew it was only a matter of time before people figured out
how special Derek really was. She noticed he didn’t mention the genetic alterations and how he downplayed his own abilities. That wasn’t humility, it was survival. Rule #19 was, don’t draw attention to yourself. Eventually, their enemies would figure out Derek was as big of a threat as the device and turn their attention to killing him instead of retrieving the device. She needed to make sure they completed the mission before that happened.
“So what now?” She asked Derek.
“We should have enough fuel to get close enough to NASA to have them come pick us up.” He replied. Looking at the black couple he smiled evilly. “You are gonna love their entrance exam…”
Chapter 20
June 20, 2029
NASA Complex Cape Canaveral, FL
They were picked up by another helicopter just south of NASA at Melbourne beach. It turned out that NASA had heavily mined the waters around the base so that no boats could get in. It also meant no boats could get out. Derek suspected that wasn’t entirely true. There must be a safe passage through the mines; no one would trap themselves like that. But they probably didn’t want anyone to know the path and were worried he would memorize their route in.
They still didn’t trust him. That was okay, because he didn’t fully trust them either. There was something not right about the whole operation, he just couldn’t place it. It was odd that the defenses and the village and fields had popped up so quickly after the Collapse. That implied a long term plan that had been put into effect, but as far as he was aware NASA didn’t do things like that. Members of NASA were obviously involved but it must have been far greater reaching than that.
When they arrived, Augie and Dr. Banek were there to greet them along with a squad of troops. Both men had huge smiles on their faces as they saw the scientists get out of the chopper with their cases containing the research. The black couple that Derek and Rora had rescued were separated by the squad of troops and escorted towards the facility that Derek and Rora had entered when they had arrived. Derek chuckled to himself, lots of probing for them.
He approached the two leaders of the NASA group and announced. “Well. We completed your mission for you.”
They both nodded and smiled. “You are as good as advertised. The loss of the chopper and the pilot were unfortunate, but you got our scientists and their research back. ” Dr. Banek replied.
“Maybe better than advertised actually.” Augie agreed. “You were ambushed by Red Berets and killed managed to escape. I’m impressed.”
“Yes…I’m wondering how they knew where we were in the first place.” Derek mused.
“The Cartel must have been trying to trade our people and the Red Berets were sent to pick them up.” Augie suggested.
“And yet, they didn’t pursue the scientists; they tried to kill me personally.” Derek argued.
The two NASA leaders looked at each other and then back at Derek. “They must have been after the device.” Dr. Banek said.
“So how did they know where you were?” Augie asked. “The Cartel certainly wouldn’t have contacted them about you unless there was a bounty on you, and we would have heard about that.”
“Who else knew about our mission?” Derek asked.
“Only our immediate team and the chopper pilot were aware of the mission and destination. We have a communications blackout for the complex, so no one here could have sent a message. The pilot is dead so we cannot ask him, but we didn’t detect any extraneous transmissions from the chopper…” Augie replied.
“It didn’t come from us.” Dr. Banek insisted.
“It does seem unlikely, but somehow they knew where we were going to be and when.” Derek agreed reluctantly. “That doesn’t bode well for future missions.”
“Can we go get something to eat? I’m starving.” Rora broke in, defusing the tension.
“Sure, let’s head over to the main building. We can get something to eat and then discuss your future with us.” Dr. Banek offered.
The four of them hopped into the armored golf cart that Augie drove and they headed over to the headquarters building. This time they entered through large garage entrance in the back. There were guards posted at the door and they checked everyone out, including the two NASA heads. Once they were cleared they rolled inside into a large open space with parking for multiple carts. A steel blast door closed slowly behind them, sealing them in.
Dr. Banek led them into the building through an airlock and up to a conference room with a large window looking out onto the ocean side of the complex. Derek could see the waves in the distance. He could even pick out the steel boat obstacles and fence that had been erected along the shoreline. Turret emplacements dotted the shoreline. These guys certainly took their security very seriously. Maybe now he would find out why.
Dr. Banek gestured for them to take a seat around an oval wooden table. The seats were simple office chairs, but were comfortable. There was no decoration on the walls, no plants, and the carpet was standard commercial grade brown carpet. The room was surprisingly Spartan for a high level meeting room. But it did make hiding a listening device very difficult. The only sign of money being spent were the high end electronics that Derek identified as a sophisticated projection system with video conferencing capabilities.
An aide brought in sandwiches and drinks on a cart and served everyone before leaving and closing the doors to the room. There was a hissing noise as the room was hermetically sealed. Augie hit a button and shades rolled down over the windows. The lighting in the room automatically brightened to adjust for the reduction in light. Derek assumed the walls were soundproofed. Obviously they did take their information security very seriously.
The sandwiches were ham and cheese on white bread. Simple fare, but surprisingly hard to get nowadays. The complex must have a bakery, a dairy, and slaughterhouse to provide the food. Either that or they had one heck of a storage facility for food. Derek ignored his food and looked at the head of NASA, waiting for his explanation. Rora on the other hand started scarfing down the food like she hadn’t eaten in weeks. That was probably not too far off. Someone used to being fed all the time would have trouble adjusting to the scarcity of food in the wastelands. Derek noted none of the NASA folks had appeared underfed.
Dr. Banek noticed Derek’s stare and colored slightly. He stopped eating and wiped his mouth carefully with a napkin. Derek noticed how immaculately he was dressed and his precise mannerisms and concluded the man was probably at least a little bit OCD and very vain. He must be smart though. You didn’t become the head of a technology based group without intelligence. You also needed some level of political ability, which meant he was probably also a good liar. Derek would have to take everything he said with a grain of salt.
“I guess you want me to explain what is going on?” Dr. Banek asked Derek.
“Since that is what you promised me. Yes, I would appreciate an explanation.” Derek replied sarcastically.
“Very well.” Dr. Banek said slowly and looked at Augie. ”The General and I will attempt to explain the situation to you. You understand that some things are too sensitive to tell you about. So I hope you will respect that when we leave out a few details.”
“We don’t trust you enough to share all our secrets, but we do need your help.” Augie added bluntly.
Derek smiled. “I get that. But I’m not going to help if I don’t like what I hear.”
Dr. Banek nodded. “We understand that.”
“Get on with it doc.” Augie grunted and went back to eating his sandwich.
“Before the Collapse, NASA had been relegated to backwater status with the virtual cancellation of the space program and its subsequent commercialization.” Dr. Banek started. “We still did some space launches, usually of satellites, since we weren’t ready to cede space to the Chinese and Russians just yet. But our program was slashed in half and many of our better minds left for other projects. We had to find another way to fund our operations or risk shutting down altogether. So we signed o
n for a number of black projects run by the military. The development of space based weapons systems and defenses to be exact. We also worked on creating a new spaceplane to replace the shuttle, a project that neither our enemies nor our friends knew anything about. It was designed to be smaller, be undetectable to radar, and was armed. The mission plan was for a vehicle that could enter and exit space undetected, and destroy enemy satellites in orbit or deploy small forces into space.”
“You mean like to capture a Russian space station for example?” Derek interrupted.
Dr. Banek nodded. “Exactly.”
“And you took the money because you needed it. But once you took it they owned you right?”
“I wouldn’t put it that way.” Augie scowled.
“The General was our liaison, so pardon him if he is a little sensitive about how our relationship started.” Dr. Banek explained. “I would say we became much more entwined with the military than we had been and our research shifted from purely scientific to military. We still continued projects on the side but we now had to justify everything with a possible military application.”
“Which wasn’t that hard, was it doc?” Augie asked.
Dr. Banek laughed. “No you were very creative in that regard.”
“So how did all this get set up?” Derek asked gesturing out the window. “I had top clearance and I never heard about this becoming a military base.”
“Well, we tried to create jobs for family members to work on the projects and tied them to military needs. For example, the farming you saw came out of a project to grow food for a projected military moon base. Over time we tied more and more people into our projects. They were scattered all over the country, but one of the requirements was the ability to pack them up and move them in case of an invasion. So when the Collapse started, we were able to pick them up and move them here.” Dr. Banek explained.