by J. G. Martin
“It has to be plugged into the main interface directly and that interface is in space.” Augie finally answered after a long pause.
Chapter 21
June 20, 2029
Redwood Arsenal in Huntsville, AL
Tom had been very surprised at how understanding General Ross had been. He had not asked too many questions after being informed of the team’s failure to retrieve the device or kill Major Storm. As a matter of fact he had seemed somewhat unsurprised by the chain of events. He had ordered the team to retrieve their dead and report to Redwood Arsenal in Huntsville for debriefing. Any further questions or comments by Tom had been cut off. The general had insisted it was too risky to discuss it over the comm.
The team was in a state of low morale as they flew to Huntsville. This was the first time anyone on the team had been killed and they were justifiably upset. They were also embarrassed that one man had so easily handled a team that was supposedly the most elite fighting force in the world. Tom shared that sentiment. The whole experience had been very humbling and he vowed that it would not be repeated. He would not underestimate an enemy again.
Wu had been unable to figure out what was preventing their external comms from working and they had simply just come back online after the Major had left the area. It was very disturbing, to say the least, that the Major or anyone had the ability to completely disrupt their communications. Tom had never heard of that happening and it was something he planned to discuss in detail with the techs once they were in Huntsville.
When they had touched down, they had been met at the plane by an entire battalion of armed troops in up-armored Humvees with machine guns mounted on them. All the guns had been trained on the team as they disembarked. They had all been disarmed and stripped of armor before being led into the base. Tom had been separated from the rest and led into an interrogation room. He had been left to sit there for several hours at the room’s only furnishings, a table and two chairs.
He wasn’t handcuffed or otherwise restrained, but he knew the door was secured without even having to check. This was standard interrogation technique for the U.S.T.G. for a failed operation. This was more than a normal debriefing, but less than an interrogation of a hostile combatant. He wasn’t that worried, his parents were middle level Party members and he had been unfailingly loyal his entire life. He had done exactly what had been asked of him. This Major Storm had proven to be as legendary as they said, and apparently had access to resources unknown to them.
Finally, General Ross himself had entered the room and sat down across from Tom. For a few long minutes he just stared at Tom. Then he ran his hair through his short cropped reddish brown hair and sighed. He leaned forward and folded his hands in front of him on the table. Tom wasn’t sure what to make of it, so he just sat quietly while maintaining eye contact and a blank expression.
“You failed, Captain.” The general stated.
It was true so Tom didn’t respond. He would wait and see what else the general said before he pled his case. One thing he had learned over the years was that speaking, especially the truth, could get you in trouble. Better to stay quiet and take his punishment stoically and with professionalism. So he was stunned at the next comments from the general.
“It’s not your fault though.” General Ross continued. “We were not fully aware, I was not fully aware, of the situation when I dispatched you to Florida.”
“Sir?” Tom asked in confusion.
“This is so top secret that only a handful of people are aware of it, but I’m going to read you in because you need to know what you are dealing with. Do you understand?” The general asked him.
“Yes sir.” Tom assured him, only slightly concerned.
“Major Derek Storm was, is, a special project by the tech weenies.” The general informed Tom. “He has been genetically altered to have superhuman traits.”
“What? Like he is Superman or something?” Tom blurted out.
The general seemed so concerned himself that he ignored Tom’s outburst and continued. “More or less. He is faster, stronger, and more durable than a normal man; and he heals quicker too. That is why your team struggled to contain him, why your men died…I didn’t know until after you had launched the ambush, and then we couldn’t reach you.”
“About that sir. What happened? We were left totally without any backup.” Tom asked.
“We have no idea Captain. You simply became inaccessible for a short period of time; almost like you were removed from the network. Rest assured, we have our best people trying to figure out what happened. But you have to assume the next time you go after Storm that it will happen again.” General Ross said.
“Next time sir?” Tom said with a glimmer of hope.
“Storm is public enemy number one right now. All resources available are going to be at your disposal to hunt him down and kill him and then retrieve the device.” The general informed him.
“Why don’t we just send several divisions to storm NASA and take him?” Tom asked, curious.
The general laughed. “If only it were that simple. We are not ready for open war with the C.C.A. yet and attacking NASA would surely trigger that. The NASA complex also has heavy defenses and some sort of jamming that isn’t allowing any surveillance of the interior of the complex. So for the time being, we need to restrict our actions to covert operations to retrieve the device. Your team is still the best we have, and now you have some experience with the Major and his capabilities. That experience will make you better the next time around and provide some motivation to succeed.”
“How does NASA have such heavy defenses sir?” Tom asked.
“We had some traitors in our midst that diverted military supplies and experimental weapons their way before the Collapse and outright deserted after. They stole brand new defensive turrets that were designated for the White House and other high value targets; very powerful with the latest radars, heavy weapons and missiles, and a very advanced command and control system. They will eventually get theirs, but for now we have to leave them alone.” The general declared.
“What about the device sir, what does it do?” Tom dared to ask.
“That’s so need to know they wouldn’t even tell me…but it is apparently very, very important. The President himself called me to check on our progress.” General Ross informed him.
No pressure Tom thought to himself. If he failed, he would surely be sent to the mines or very possibly publicly executed to send a message about failure. But if he succeeded, he would reap all sorts of rewards. But how could he hope to defeat Major Storm if he had so easily defeated the team the last time around?
“If we cannot go in and get him, what is your plan to get him?” Tom asked.
“We have a pretty good idea of where he is going to be in a week.” General Ross said with a smirk. “You can kill him, take the device, and utilize it, all in one fell swoop.”
Utilize it? Tom asked himself. I think the general knows more than he is letting on. But pointing that out could be hazardous to one’s health, so he let it go. Better to follow orders and go along with the plan. All that mattered would be that they would get revenge on that murderer, Storm.
“Where is that sir?” He asked.
“Olympus Station.” The general declared, watching Tom carefully for his reaction.
Tom didn’t disappoint, his eyes widened and his mouth dropped. “But we lost Olympus when the satellites failed.”
“We didn’t lose it, someone took it.” The general informed him. “And now we are going to take it back.”
“Sir?” Tom asked, still caught off guard.
“You and your team will participate in abbreviated astronaut training and zero-g combat. You and an additional squad of Red Berets will be sent up on the XS-2 Prometheus Spaceplane, kindly developed for us by NASA. It has stealth capability and you will launch after they do and follow them to the station.” General Ross explained. “We suspect that they have a way to disable the s
tation’s defenses and you should be able to stay in their shadow and then board on the other side of the station.”
“If the station was taken, who controls it? Won’t they defend it?” Tom asked.
“The Collective seized control remotely and vented the atmosphere. Doors then installed himself on the station placing himself out of our reach. Until now.” The general replied. “You will be suited up so that trick won’t work again. You can breach the airlock with charges and then kill everything on board. Don’t worry about damage, once we have regained control we will send another team to affect repairs. Any questions Captain?”
This explained a lot about the mission. Olympus Station had been the crowning achievement of the space race. American forces had built it on the opposite side of the planet from the International Space Station and it was a weapons platform also housing the command and control for the missile shield. It had been built in pieces, and then the pieces launched piecemeal into orbit by rockets posing as satellite launches. Then the XS-2 had launched a mission in secret to assemble it. The world had woken up one morning to find a new object watching over them. Its supposed loss during the Collapse had been a major blow to the military. But now they would remedy that and get revenge at the same time.
“No sir, just point us at the enemy and we will kill everything in our path!” Tom responded enthusiastically.
“Good. Remember Captain, whatever it takes. Complete the mission or don’t come back.” The general said with a very serious tone.
Chapter 22
June 21, 2029
I-75 South of the Florida-Georgia Border
Derek pondered the conversation with the two leaders of The Society and Rora as they drove north towards Atlanta. The revelation that Doors had transferred himself into a computer on the supposedly lost Olympus Space Station was mind blowing. Olympus Station had controlled all of the United States’ space weapons and ground based missile shield. If Doors was in control of it, he commanded space and the ability to rain destruction down anywhere on earth. Technically, he could cause massive destruction just by dropping a satellite on something.
That hadn’t bothered him so much, but Rora had implored him to finish what her father had started; to disable the LINC and prevent the enslavement of mankind by Doors’ robot army. It sounded ridiculous on its face, but he had to admit that the idea of everyone being turned into a drone was rather frightening. And he couldn’t deny the existence of the drones since he had seen them in action. That had still not been enough to make him give up his huge payday. It was Rora’s insistence that Doors had been responsible for releasing the crop virus and triggering the Collapse that had been the convincing argument.
If it wasn’t for the Collapse, his wife and daughter would still be alive and he would still be happily employed as a U.S. Special Forces operator. His friends would still be alive, and he would still be living in a nice house on a lake. So much had been taken from him by Doors. It was time for some payback.
The Voice hadn’t been on board with that though. Derek had been forced to leave NASA, under heavy guard, to confer with his patron. Once outside the effects of the jamming device, Derek activated the phone.
“I’ve been waiting for your call Major.” The Voice said gently. “Are you ready to bring me the device now?”
“There has been a slight change of plans.” Derek informed him cautiously. “I still need it for one more mission.”
“What mission is that Major?” The Voice asked, sounding frustrated.
“I, uh, need to take it up to Olympus Station.” Derek told him, expecting an angry backlash.
“Really.” The Voice asked, almost sarcastically. “What could you possibly want on a derelict space station?”
“It’s not derelict.” Derek responded. “Doors uploaded his consciousness there and is controlling the entire Collective and all the satellites from the station. We can use the device to shut him down once and for all.”
“Then the device itself is useless. How would that benefit me or my employers?” The Voice replied. “Why would we pay you then? What is in this for us?”
“You wouldn’t need the device.” Derek answered. “With the Collective gone there would be no need to hide. Instead of one person being invisible with the device, everyone would be free to move around.”
“Interesting theory.” The Voice replied after a minute. “Let me check with my employers.”
After a few minutes the Voice returned. “My employers find that option acceptable, but there will be no payment. The pardon is still on the table if you complete the mission.”
So Derek and Rora, along with a squad of soldiers, were on their way to pick up the first piece of the plan. They of course needed a functional space shuttle to reach Olympus Station. But, even though the NASA complex had once housed one; it was no longer there. The military had ordered it moved after the revelation of Olympus Station. Dr. Banek suspected it was because they wanted to control access to space, to make sure no one else could possibly reach the station.
The shuttle had been in the process of being transferred at the beginning of the Collapse. As luck would have it, it was currently in Atlanta at the Hartsfield-Jackson Airport. Once the busiest airport in the world, it had become an airplane graveyard of sorts during the Collapse. Air travel slowed and then more or less ended with the EMP bursts at the end of the Collapse. The lack of satellites, the unpredictable weather, and the destruction of most of the air traffic control system made it very dangerous.
Many planes were grounded at the airport and then more were deposited there during the Aftermath. The Voice had confirmed that the shuttle was parked there along with about four hundred planes of varying sizes. The airport was believed to have been abandoned following the chemical attacks on Atlanta.
Derek, Rora, and the platoon of soldiers had headed north in two MRAPS along with several technicians in a massive transporter vehicle necessary to haul the shuttle back. The MRAPs, short for Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected, were the primary armored vehicles used by the military to patrol hot spots prior to the Collapse. Both were armed with M2 .50 caliber machine guns mounted in remotely operated turrets. The two vehicles should be sufficient to drive off any raiders or Reapers who happened upon them. Given that the Reapers had suffered serious losses from their battle royale outside the NASA complex, it was unlikely they would be a threat.
The convoy had driven by the remnants of the Reaper encampment; little remained from the furious battle other than scorched earth and pieces of scrap. All the bodies had been removed, likely for food; and all the vehicles and other gear had been thoroughly scavenged before the Reapers had retreated. It was almost as if they had never been there. Derek shook his head sadly as they passed by.
The accidental creation of the Reapers would always be his greatest regret, but now they were heading towards his second greatest regret; the attack of Atlanta that had followed from the U.S.T.G. betrayal of the Republic of Georgia troops. His superiors at the time had seen nothing wrong with gassing the population of the city. They had used nerve gas and other chemical weapons to remove a possible threat to U.S.T.G supremacy. Ninety five percent of the population had been killed including his parents.
The city had remained pretty much dead for years until the worst of the chemical weapons effects had degraded away. Scavengers and others moved into the city looking for possible loot and shelter, but they found a very active population of Drinkers instead. Atlanta was considered a hotbed for Drinker activity; and until their discovery at Zinc, it was believed to be the birthplace of the monsters. Fortunately, the airport was on the outskirts and right off of the major highways; so they were unlikely to encounter many Drinkers. The Drinker presence and the lack of loot or victims also kept it from being a good hunting ground for the raiders or the Reapers, so they were unlikely to encounter either of them as well.
There wasn’t much of value in Atlanta anymore and hardly anyone lived nearby. Derek hoped they could sw
ing in, grab the shuttle, and be out before anyone noticed their presence. They traveled inland through Orlando, which was devoid of people. It had been ravaged by the Reapers before they had moved back north and no one had bothered to reclaim it. It was eerily silent as they passed through; its buildings burned out or in disrepair and weeds choking everything. In the far distance he could see the partially collapsed Epcot Dome in the once great Disney World.
As a child they had gone there for a family vacation and Derek had loved it. His father had complained it was too expensive, so they had never gone back. But Derek still had fond memories of the trip. He had planned on taking his family there when he had been on leave, but he had never found time. Now, it was too late; and the ruins of the theme park were just another symbol of what they had lost in the Collapse and Aftermath.
The highways were clear and in decent shape so they made good time. They didn’t encounter any threats, but the Tallahassee Defense Force shadowed them for a little while. Once it was obvious the convoy was heading north, they dropped off. Derek was a little surprised the U.S.T.G. military hadn’t made an appearance, but he wasn’t going to cry about it. It was nice to have a break from running and fighting for a little bit. He refrained from any real conversation during the trip, but he noticed Rora in deep conversation with one of the soldiers. It was a young private he had noticed her talking to several times when they were at the complex. They were sitting close together and she kept giggling.
The soldier wasn’t much older than her and looked like he barely shaved. But he seemed nice and he was very respectful whenever Derek had approached them. The boy did seem to get a guilty look and run away whenever Derek showed up, but Rora had assured him that nothing was going on. That was probably untrue and Derek’s presence was ruining whatever was going on since the boy was obviously afraid of him. It was understandable, he was Rora’s de facto father figure; and even the older soldiers seemed in awe of him at times. The captain in charge of this mission was constantly deferring to Derek as if he was in charge.