by J. G. Martin
That made it harder for the pursuing gunmen to hit them, but the chopper wouldn’t land for a pick up if Derek and Rora were under fire. He had to get rid of them before they got to the airfield. He dropped back down into the vehicle and stuck his head over the center console next to Rora.
“Why aren’t you shooting at them?” She yelled.
“Because you are moving around too much for me to get a clean shot.” He said calmly.
“What do you want me to do?” She snapped. “Drive through that wall ahead?”
“No.” He replied, still calm. “I need you to drive backwards so I can use the mini-gun.”
“Are you insane?” She screamed.
“I have to be, to be enjoying this so much.” He chuckled. “Step on the gas and brake simultaneously and spin the wheel. Then throw it into reverse when you have swung one hundred and eighty degrees. This vehicle should be heavy enough not to flip over.”
“If we wreck it’s not my fault.” Rora grumbled, but prepared to do as asked.
Derek climbed back to the hatch and popped the mini-gun up. He grabbed a hold of the hatch frame and hung on as Rora slewed the car around and started driving backwards. They slowed dramatically and the pursuing vehicles caught up. He cut loose as soon as they were in his arc of fire. He directed the steady stream of lead from the mini-gun at the front tires of the lead pursuer. They were surely solid rubber, but the mini-gun should be able to chew them up and slow down the vehicle.
His rounds struck home and shredded the front driver side tire of the SUV chasing them. The driver started to lose control and the vehicle struck a small pile of rubble. It flipped sideways as one side left the ground and launched into the air. It came down with a crash and slid to a stop upside down in a shower of sparks. The second SUV just barely avoided hitting the wrecked vehicle and roared closer.
The gunmen in the windows were now close enough to start firing grenades at Derek and Rora’s SUV. The two vehicles were swerving wildly through the rubble strewn streets and were getting to almost point blank range. Bullets ricocheted off both vehicles sending sparks flying. Neither could seem to strike the other a crippling blow. But the pursuers had more firepower and it was only a matter of time before they got lucky. Derek ducked down just in time as a grenade struck the mini-gun and blew it clean off.
“Spin back around.” He ordered Rora. “We need to gain some distance.”
She gratefully obliged and swung them back around. He could tell that driving backwards had been nerve-wracking, but she had done amazingly well. She was a natural at this. It was hard to believe she had never had any military training. Once they were turned back around she accelerated away from the other SUV. Carrying less weight, they were able to get a little separation. As they pulled away a grenade blew out the rear of their SUV, sending glass spraying inside. They needed to get these guys off their tail.
Popping back up, Derek surveyed the area ahead and found what he was looking for. A pedestrian bridge was still miraculously standing ahead of them. He fired two grenades as they approached and they passed under it just as it began to collapse. The bridge fell blocking the path of the pursuing SUV behind them. He knew it would just make a detour and right back behind them. Time to turn the tables.
“Turn right and stop before the next intersection.” He instructed Rora.
She took a hard right and screeched to a halt just short of the next intersection. The rubble of the building provided cover from the pursuing SUV. Derek took careful aim with the grenade launcher and waited. He didn’t have to wait long as the SUV chasing them came flying through the intersection. He could see the surprised look in their wide eyes as he fired the grenade at the driver’s door.
The blast blew in the glass and the explosion plus flying glass nearly decapitated the driver. The now driverless SUV swerved out of control and crashed into a ruined car. The collision sent the ruined car flying and brought the SUV to a complete halt. Before they could recover, Derek sent a second grenade in through the open window. The grenade exploded inside the vehicle, instantly killing all the gunmen inside.
Rora gave a small cheer as the second SUV was neutralized and stepped on the gas. They lurched forward and she raced off to the airport at breakneck speed. They made it back just in time and popped the purple smoke that indicated a clear landing zone. The transport helicopter circled and then landed to pick them up. They scrambled on board, relieved to be leaving the creepy desolation of the Nuke Zone.
The chopper took off almost as they were getting in, the pilot apparently not wanting to spend any more time than necessary there. The abandoned and ruined airport quickly faded from view as the pilot went full throttle. Once they had gained altitude and enough distance, the phone beeped in Derek’s ear to let him know it had a signal. He immediately moved to the back of the chopper and called the Voice.
“Yes Major, were you successful?” The Voice answered smoothly.
“No.” Derek replied simply. “It turned out to be a trap. The part was never there.”
“That is interesting.” The Voice replied. “What happened?”
“Someone at NASA must have given us false intelligence to get us into the facility under CIA headquarters. Once we were inside we encountered a crazy Doctor Strahn, who was conducting experiments on animals.”
“Doctor Strahn?” The Voice interrupted, almost incredulous. “He is still alive?”
“That wasn’t the craziest thing.” Derek told him. “We were attacked by Faceless.”
“That is just an Agency myth, Major.” The Voice told him after a momentary pause. “They do not exist.”
“I saw them with my own eyes.” Derek assured him. “All of our attackers had no face and then they melted into a puddle of goo shortly after dying.”
“That is…disturbing.” The Voice finally said.
“So you agree that’s what they were?” Derek asked.
“That is how they were described to me once.” The Voice confirmed.
“What do you mean, ‘described to you once’?” Derek asked pointedly.
As if realizing he had said too much, the Voice changed the subject. “How do you plan to fix the shuttle then?”
Derek knew the Voice knew more than he was saying but let it go. The slip was confirmation enough that what he and Rora had faced in the hallways of the CIA facility were indeed Faceless. They had been rumored to be created by a rogue element in the CIA to replace any enemy agent. Their face was a blank slate on which plastic surgery could recreate anyone’s face. They would then be sent in as a double agent or used for infiltration missions.
The project was rumored to have been shut down because the U.S. government was afraid they could be used to replace anyone, including government officials, even the President. Nobody wanted to be constantly afraid that the person they were dealing with wasn’t actually that person. Lack of government approval had never stopped the CIA from pursuing their own agendas, and it looked like they had continued the project. What surprised him were that there were so many of them.
“The good doctor suggested that the part was actually delivered where it supposed to be sent to, Langley Air Force Base. I’m going to have the pilot take us there on the way back.” Derek answered after a pause.
“Keep me updated on your progress.” The Voice said before disconnecting.
Chapter 34
June 25, 2029
The Society HQ Cape Canaveral, FL
Neither the guards nor the secretary tried to stop Derek as he stormed into General Kilgore’s office. The look on his face was so terrifying they just pretended to be busy with something else. Unlike them, Augie seemed unperturbed as Derek slammed his palms down on the massive oak desk and confronted him.
“Something I can help you with, Major?” He asked calmly.
“Get your house in order!” Derek screamed at him, spit flying from his mouth. “I’m tired of being betrayed at every turn.”
“We are working on that.” Th
e general informed him coolly. “In the meantime, don’t you have a mission to prep for?”
“Seriously? This is how you are going to play it?” Derek asked in amazement. “By pretending it’s not a big deal?”
“You retrieved the part and the mission is a go. It is all good.” Augie said soothingly.
“You have a traitor in your midst, maybe more than one, and you aren’t worried?” Derek replied incredulously. “I’m starting to wonder how good you are as head of security.”
“Look, Major.” Augie replied with his hands clasped calmly in front of him. “Your mission is the most important thing right now. If you succeed it won’t matter if we have a traitor. The shuttle is under twenty four hour guard by multiple soldiers, and the shuttle crew has been isolated and is under guard as well. All communication out of the base is blocked and no one is allowed outside the perimeter. We have it locked down in advance of the launch. Go get ready for the launch. Nothing is going to stop the mission now. I am working on unmasking the traitor as we speak. Trust me.”
“I don’t trust you.” Derek told him, shaking his head. “When this mission is over we are done. You and your Society can shove it. I’m tired of almost getting killed on your behalf.”
“Understood Major. Just get the mission done and then we can have another chat.” The general replied calmly.
Derek made a sound of disgust and stormed back out. He heard the general give a small sigh of relief as he exited the room. The man had been scared even though he hadn’t shown it. That actually impressed him. But the fact remained that the Society had shown an alarming inability to maintain operational security. He didn’t count them as friends and rule #2 was that there are only friends or enemies. Their aims aligned currently, but that might end when they finished the mission. That left a quandary with what to do about them since rule #3 was never leave an enemy at your back.
That would have to wait. The shuttle would be launching in hours and he had to get ready. It was actually kind of exciting. Derek was pretty jaded in his experiences. He had been all over the world and seen and done many wild and exotic things. Years in the wasteland had left him almost numb to new experiences. But he had never been into space and the concept intrigued him. Very few people got to go and now he was being afforded that opportunity. It could be fun.
Several hours later when the shuttle left the launch pad, he was having a very different opinion on how much fun it would be. The launch was intense. From the incredible strain of the G forces created by the rapid ascent to the shaking and rattling of the shuttle as it blasted free on top of massive rockets. Rockets that were full of highly explosive fuel and essentially a giant bomb. He hoped no one had sabotaged the launch and it didn’t blow up underneath them.
Derek glanced over and saw Rora gripping her seat tightly, her eyes wide and her pupils dilated. She saw him looking and gave him a weak smile. He gave her a thumbs up and tried to look encouraging. He looked at the other crew, but could only see the backs of their helmets from where he was sitting. But by their posture he could see they were pretty relaxed except for Johnson. That was a surprise; he was supposed to be an experienced astronaut.
They eventually exited the atmosphere and Derek breathed a small sigh of relief. The shuttle detached from the boosters and they soared free into space. He could feel the effects of zero G as soon as they pulled free of the Earth’s gravity field. Colonel Brandt took control of the shuttle and they changed heading towards the space station. It was still a good distance off, but it already appeared huge indicating how large it really was. Commander Khodorov waited for a few minutes as they checked the shuttle’s status and then gave the all clear to remove their helmets and release from their restraints.
Rora moved to a window to look back at the Earth and Derek followed. They both gaped like little kids at the awesome view of the entire Earth beneath them. The other crew stifled laughs at the touristy behavior of their two “mission specialists”, but neither Derek nor Rora cared. This wasn’t a sight you got to see every day, so they were going to take advantage of it.
Derek finished looking and floated forward to check on the mission with the commander. As he moved forwards he got a look at the back of Johnson’s helmetless head for the first time. Derek suddenly lunged forward reaching for the blond specialist’s neck. Johnson must have seen a reflection of him coming and sprang out of his seat, flipping backwards over Derek’s outstretched hands. Derek tried to arrest his momentum and tried to reverse course to catch the vaulting specialist, but only succeeded in colliding with the specialist’s empty chair.
“What are you doing?” Anna shrieked.
“He’s the traitor!” Derek yelled back. “He’s a Faceless!”
“Are you insane?” The commander screamed at him. “Stop screwing around, you are going to damage something.”
“He has the mole on his neck!” Derek called to Rora. “Grab him!”
Her eyes widened in recognition and she moved to block the fleeing specialist’s path. He thrust her aside, but that changed his momentum and slowed him enough for Derek to catch him. Despite the other crew’s screams to stop, Derek knew who the enemy was now and nothing would stop him. The two collided in midair in the middle of the crew cabin. The traitor snarled at the impact and head-butted Derek in the face. Having stunned Derek, the traitorous specialist pushed off a chair and thrust them into the shuttle frame. Derek was slammed backwards into the frame and momentarily blacked out.
In that brief moment the treacherous specialist pulled a ceramic blade from somewhere in his suit and stabbed Derek in the stomach. The suit absorbed most of the blow but droplets of blood flew into the cabin and hung suspended in midair as he pulled back the blade for another strike. Then he was knocked sideways as Rora barreled into him. He grappled with her as they flew across the cabin. She tried to knee him in the groin but was unsuccessful.
Far more used to the effects of zero-G, the traitor quickly got the upper hand and prepared to stab Rora in the throat. He smiled as he drove the blade forward, but his strike was stopped as the commander grabbed his arm. Johnson spun and planted a foot in the midsection of the mission commander and pushed. The action sent both of them flying in opposite directions. The specialist released Rora as he soared backwards.
He did a back flip and kicked off the wall of the shuttle, launching himself knife first like a spear at the mission commander. Mikhail had caught himself on a chair and was able to maneuver to the side as the traitor struck at him, but he still took a swipe to the midsection. Blood sprayed free and more droplets joined the blood already hanging in space. Anna screamed as the blood flew.
The treacherous specialist spring boarded off of a console and flew towards the pilot. If his goal was to sabotage the mission, then killing or disabling the pilot would be a good start. He had almost reached the pilot’s chair when Derek struck him from behind. Derek had recovered enough at this point to join the fray and had used all of his strength to launch himself like a missile to intercept the striking specialist. They rocketed sideways and crashed off of the interior of the windshield of the shuttle.
They wrestled for control of the blade as they bounced around the interior of the shuttle. Now prepared for the sudden shifts of direction and lack of leverage, Derek was able to utilize his superior physique and body control to subdue the fake specialist. He finally managed to get behind the struggling man and choke him unconscious with a rear naked choke. Using duct tape he secured the traitor to one of the chairs.
“What is going on?” Commander Khodorov demanded as he clutched at his wounded stomach.
“Are you crazy?” Colonel Brandt chimed in.
“Johnson isn’t Johnson.” Derek tried to explain.
“What are you talking about?” Anna interrupted angrily. “We have been together for years. I think I know who he is.”
“I don’t know whether he switched with Johnson or Johnson is a fake identity, but this man is not Johnson Thomas. He is a clon
e of another man with this face surgically implanted on him and his other features altered.” Derek explained calmly.
“How could he have passed our extensive testing to get into the Society?” Anna demanded.
“I don’t know, but that would imply he was switched with Johnson at some point after the testing was done.” Derek replied.
“This is crazy. What proof do you have?” Anna demanded.
“I agree, this is crazy.” The commander agreed. “You better have something solid Major.”
“Other than the fact he pulled a knife and tried to kill us?” Derek responded. He pulled the still unconscious man’s head forward and pointing to the small mole on his neck. “Did Johnson have this mole Anna?”
“How would I know?” She replied nervously. “I never examined his neck before.”
“Really?” Derek asked sarcastically. “Not even when you were sleeping together?”
She blushed a deep shade of red and the pilot choked back a laugh. “We never slept together.” She stammered.
“We all knew.” The commander stated quietly. “We just didn’t want to embarrass you so we never mentioned it.”
“Ahh….” She groaned.
“It’s okay. No one is judging.” Rora added. “Just tell us if he had the mole or not.”
“Not that I remember.” Anna grudgingly acknowledged.
“The gunmen that attacked us in D.C. all had this mole.” Derek informed them. “It seems to be their only identifying feature, but it is so small it is almost unnoticeable.”
“That’s true.” Rora agreed. “They also had no face, which would make it easy to graft another face on.”
“Come on. This is ridiculous. You cannot be serious.” Commander Khodorov said doubtfully.