No Sanctuary Box Set: The No Sanctuary Omnibus - Books 1-6

by Mike Kraus

  “Farhad!” The voice is hoarse and full of pain. Omar’s trance is broken, and he looks away from the television as he recognizes the voice on the other end of the line.

  “Father?!” He presses the phone hard against his ear as his father coughs and speaks again.

  “Listen to me, Farhad. They’ve gotten into the main buildings. The military’s on the way, but I don’t know if they’ll make it in time. Your mother and brothers are here with me. We’re trying to stay hidden, but… I just wanted to tell you we l—”

  The line goes dead. There are no more voices, no screams, no sounds of gunfire and no indications as to what has happened to Omar’s family. His breathing grows quick as he dials the number that called him, only to be met with a notice that it is no longer in service. He tries again, a dozen more times, but the result is the same.

  On the television, the military pours into the government buildings like water, sweeping away the unknown band of individuals who sought to overthrow and kill the President. Minutes and hours tick past, and the broadcast switches between the cold, formal faces of experts and analysts and scenes of sheet-covered bodies being carried out from the government compound.

  It’s impossible to know who the bodies once were, but Omar doesn’t need to see the images of his family to know that they are dead. Victims of assailants sent by an unknown source, they were once his rock and stable foundation. Now, though? He is alone.

  Chapter 2

  “Hold on!” Jackson’s voice echoed through the cabin of the Humvee as it sped along, bouncing on the uneven terrain of the highway median. Sitting in the passenger seat, Frank held on to his seat with both hands, the expression on his face grim as he tried to keep from being thrown from side to side. In the back, Linda sat sideways in a seat, bracing herself against the front seats and the back door all while silently hoping that the latch wouldn’t fail and send her tumbling out onto the ground.

  The vehicle was one of the last operational ones at Davison, as all of the working vehicles of all types had been taken north to the Washington sanctuary city to help fight off the assault. Jackson had nearly gotten into a fistfight with a group of soldiers who were preparing to get into the Humvee until Linda distracted them and the trio managed to get away before they could be stopped.

  The drive north into Washington was another stark reminder of the reality of the world. Abandoned cars, burned buildings and the smell of smoke and decay were everywhere, and Jackson frequently had to take the vehicle off-road in order to maintain their speed. While the light in the sky was soft, indicating that it was either soon after morning or near the evening, Linda and Frank weren’t entirely certain what time it was anymore. The rapid, rushed trips back and forth across the country and the frantic pace of their efforts to stop the dirty bombs had taken a heavy toll.

  Linda felt the sting of exhaustion in the back of her head, noticing her slowed reflexes and decreased response times. There was nothing she could do about it, though, except to press on and hope that she had enough energy to keep going. She and Frank had both slept for most of the four-hour plane ride to Washington, but “sleep” in the back of a military cargo jet is more like torture than actual rest.

  “Oh my…” Frank whispered from the front and Linda struggled to maneuver around to see through the narrow front windows at what he was gaping at. As Jackson crested a hill, taking them out of a shallow valley, they could see plumes of smoke and an orange glow off near the horizon. Unlike much of the smoke and fire they had seen on the drive thus far, though, what appeared in the distance was fresh and recent, caused by a source that was no doubt still very much present. “Is that… is that the city?”

  “Looks like it.” Jackson shook his head before jolting the Humvee to the side to miss the twisted edge of a crumpled guardrail. “I hope to hell they’ve held out. Frank, try the radio again. Maybe we’re close enough.”

  Frank reached for the radio but Linda shook her head and put a hand on his arm. “It’s no use. Whatever the assailants did in the initial attack knocked the transmitters in there offline. We’re not going to get anything from them until we get close enough for the two-ways to be in range. How much longer till we’re there, Jackson?”

  “Fifteen, maybe twenty minutes.” Jackson’s voice raised an octave halfway through his answer as he jerked the steering wheel yet again, sending the Humvee onto the road for a few seconds to avoid a fence before going back into the median. “If we even make it. Whoever was in charge of repairing this piece of crap needs to be taken out and shot.”

  Frank and Linda said nothing as they concentrated on keeping themselves from being slung around the inside of the vehicle while Jackson did his best impression of a rally car driver. Linda kept one hand on Frank’s shoulder as they went along, and Frank reached up and grabbed it, clutching it tightly in his fingers. He and Linda hadn’t gotten a chance to speak privately since boarding the plane in Phoenix, but the moment they had shared while the plane was taking off had been stronger than either one of them had realized.

  Since being woken in their seats by the jostle of the aircraft hitting the ground, they had moved more smoothly as a unit than they had since meeting each other. Working in tandem they had helped Jackson secure the Humvee, helped plot a route north to the city and generally kept each other and Jackson encouraged despite the grim circumstances. Neither of them were sure about what was going on, but both of them were determined more than ever to see things through to the end, if only so that they could find out.

  “All right, ladies.” Jackson swallowed hard as a long, wide turn in the road appeared in the distance. “We’re nearly there. Make sure you’re ready to bail out at a moment’s notice. I’m going to skirt the edge of the barricades and try to get us north and as close to the command center’s location as possible. My guess is that we’ll have to bail out, but we might have to do that early.”

  “Jackson.” Linda patted him on the shoulder and spoke in a calm, steady voice. The Lieutenant was putting on a brave face, but his voice was unsteady. “We’re going to be okay.”

  “It’s not me I’m worried about. If he gets his hand on those codes and shuts down the jammers remotely…”

  “It’s not going to happen.” Frank replied with a matter-of-fact tone. “He will be stopped. We’ll do it.”

  They sat in silence for another moment as they rounded the wide turn in the road, following the highway in toward the sanctuary city. If the smoke and flames from afar had offered a disturbing glimpse of what was to come, the up-close view was far, far worse. Fires were actively jumping between buildings and thousands of flickers of light appeared near the southern and eastern sides, evidence of the people fleeing with flashlights in hand, trying to make their way from the burning portions of the city to the portions still intact.

  There were hundreds of thousands—maybe more—who were undoubtedly trapped in the city, left with nowhere else to go but away from the flames, and unless the military could direct their attention to the fires, the buildings—and the people—would soon be completely obliterated. The moderate-sized military forces that Frank and Linda could still vividly recall avoiding while walking through the city were otherwise engaged, though, and a quick look at the northern edge of the city revealed why.

  Flashes of light and trails of smoke extended from the north beyond the river, signaling mortar and rocket fire that was raining down on the soldiers and civilians. Bursts of orange and yellow light flashed across the buildings as hundreds of attackers and soldiers attempted to suppress each other with small arms fire. Tracer rounds from atop Humvees parked near the edge of the city flew through the sky, setting small fires and punching holes through buildings in an attempt to drive away the attackers. Occasionally, one of the rockets or mortars would make contact with something other than bare metal or concrete, sending a fiery explosion into the air as yet another cache of supplies or a vehicle went up in flames.

  “Have they really been under this kind of assaul
t for four hours?” Frank whistled softly in disbelief.

  “Look at how the fire’s spreading.” Linda leaned forward as Jackson slowed the Humvee to drive over a curb to get around a group of parked cars. “Nearly half of the buildings are in flames. How are they going to get that under control?”

  “Cut a line around the edge of the fire, demo the buildings and stop it in its tracks,” Jackson replied, “but they can’t do that if they’re dug in like that.”

  “Let’s get in there and free them up.”

  Jackson stifled a laugh as he drove around the edge of the city, looking for a clear path in through the barricades. “You expect the three of us in this banged-up old thing with only limited ammunition and weapons to do what, exactly?”

  Linda smiled from the back seat. “Strategy trumps numbers, Jackson. You ought to know better than that.”

  “I’d still rather not go charging in with a rifle and nothing else against what could be hundreds or more enemy combatants.”

  Linda pointed out the window again, highlighting the rows of buildings along the north end of the river. Their windows were still lighting up with yellow and orange flashes, and occasionally trails of smoke came from atop and behind them. “They’ve got half a dozen mortars back there, plus some rockets in the windows. If we can secure a couple of those mortars then we can flip the script and start targeting their buildings. That’ll give the forces inside the city enough of a breather to move up and start taking buildings back, or get some heavy counterfire going.”

  “Huh.” Jackson grunted and nodded slowly. “That could work. They’re going to have more than just a few people manning the mortars, though.”

  “We can handle it. Trust me.” Linda reached forward and adjusted the settings on the radio, turning the volume up so that she could hear the static squealing loudly inside the vehicle. “We need to get in communication with someone, though. If Sarah or someone else is still around, they need to be able to direct units to move in.”

  Jackson keyed the microphone and called out their location and disposition as he flipped through the channels. Finally the static turned into hurried, frantic speech as various units tried to speak to each other and to what was left of the command structure. Jackson was about to radio in when Linda put a hand on his arm and shook her head. “Give it a second; I want to hear what’s going on, first.”

  In between the low quality of the transmissions, the static, the acronyms and the initialisms, Frank couldn’t make out any of what was going on. Linda and Jackson listened intently, though, and when Linda noticed Frank’s confused expression she began whispering to him. “They’re not doing well. Mortar and rocket fire has taken out a lot of their static emplacements and they’re starting to weaken. They also just spotted a small group heading for the command building.” Linda glanced at Jackson and spoke louder. “They must be going for the codes to shut down the signal jammers. We need to get in there right now!”

  Jackson threw a hand up from the wheel and gestured at the road ahead. “If you happen to see a way in, feel free to point it out! All we’ve got so far are walls, fences and barricades.”

  “Oh for—turn in there!”

  “Through the fence?”

  “Yes, through the fence! We’re not in your wife’s minivan, Jackson!”

  The Humvee’s wheels dug deep into the grass, kicking up clods of dirt that intermingled with bits of cheap, poorly-reinforced wood. The fence offered almost no resistance to the vehicle’s assault as Jackson tore through it, heading into the backyard of a long-abandoned home that had yet to be occupied by refugees in the city. The yard was, thankfully, clear of any obstacles, and they smashed through another fence, went down a slight slope across the front yard and skidded into the quiet cul-de-sac out front. The brake pedal squeaked noisily as Jackson slowly lifted up his foot, and he turned to Linda as he slowly accelerated into a turn to head out to a main road toward the command center.

  “Just FYI, she drives a truck. Not a minivan.”

  Chapter 3

  The drive through the city was eerily quiet, as they had taken the Humvee in through the eastern side, where most of the residents were either hiding in their homes and shelters or had already retreated to the south and west. Jackson kept them moving at a quick clip, though, and within a few moments they arrived at the outskirts of what was left of the command center.

  What was left of the buildings housing the military and support staff were barely standing. Smoke billowed from the wreckage and fires still burned fresh, fed from lines of fuel leaking from hidden storage containers. Men and women in uniform ran back and forth, carting weapons, pouches with large white and red X’s on them and crates of ammunition and other supplies. The gun and mortar fire had clearly slowed from how it had been when the attack first started, though, as most of the explosions from the shells were distant, at least a few hundred meters or more.

  Jackson pulled the Humvee up against a nearby structure that was still relatively intact, trying to shield it from any potential incoming fire, and the trio grabbed their weapons and packs before jumping out. Set up in a series of large, portable, multi-story buildings, the command center was grey in color, and looked to be made of a combination of steel and some sort of high-strength plastic. Piles of sandbags were scattered across the outer edge of the second story of the structure while HESCO bastions lined the bottom story, providing both structure and security.

  The upper of the three levels had been completely destroyed and melted bits of the command center were scattered across the ground as Jackson, Frank and Linda jogged toward it. Their presence was either unnoticed or disregarded by the military around the command post, and it didn’t take long to see why. Injured service members, many of them dead or dying, lay on the ground near the barriers on the south side of the command post while medics desperately tended to their wounds.

  Presuming that Sarah or someone else in charge would be in what was left in the command center, the trio ran through the open doors and into the main room on the bottom floor. Rows of tables that once held neatly arranged computers had been pushed aside to make room for cots for the more gravely injured. Near the back of the room, at the north side, sandbags were piled high around the narrow windows and soldiers stood near them with scoped rifles, firing rounds at targets in buildings beyond the river. If the atmosphere outside the command center was complete chaos, the atmosphere inside was slightly more organized, but disarray still reigned supreme.

  “Sarah!” Linda shouted at the top of her lungs as she looked around in all directions. Jackson and Frank looked as well, though Jackson had his eyes open for anyone who was high enough in rank that they might be in charge of whatever operations were left.

  “Linda?” The response was weak, with a hoarse cough following after, and the three turned and rushed toward the source. A pair of medics stood near an elevated cot where a figure was half-covered with a blanket. One of the figure’s legs stuck out from the blanket, though it was mangled and covered in blood and iodine. The medics talked loudly as they worked on the figure’s leg, and Linda had to put a hand to her mouth to conceal her shock.

  “Sarah? What… what happened?”

  “That?” Sarah lifted her head and smiled weakly. “Just a flesh wound. They hit the command center hard about twenty minutes ago and I got caught in the blast. Precursor to an infiltration attempt but I think we held them off. Sergeant?” She turned and called loudly and a woman whose uniform was streaked in sweat and soot ran up to her.

  “Yes, ma’am. That group that crossed the barricade is down. The mortar fire is lessening, so they’re probably preparing another assault like last time.”

  “Is the second floor evacuated and—”

  “Everyone’s out and we’ve tripled the sandbags. It should keep us safe until we can get all the wounded moved out of range.”

  “Good.” Sarah nodded and waved at the woman before turning back to Linda. “Are Jackson and Frank with you?”


  “We’re here, ma’am.” Jackson and Frank both stepped up next to Linda.

  “Listen up. He’s here. Drones spotted him before they were shot down. He’s north, beyond their line of fire, likely where those skirmishes were coming from a while back. You have to get to him and stop him.”

  Linda shook her head. “Not while you’re in this condition. No. Not a chance.”

  Sarah reached out and grabbed Linda’s arm, her grip like a vice despite her weakened condition. “Listen to me, girl. None of us are worth that much. You go and you take him down.”

  “Ma’am, if I may?” Jackson interrupted and Sarah gave him a long look before nodding at him to continue. “While we were on the way here we saw the rocket and mortar fire coming in. The units here can’t keep hunkering down and taking that kind of a pounding. At some point the enemy’s going to cross the barricade en masse and everyone’s going to be slaughtered, to say nothing of the jamming codes.”

  “You got a suggestion, Jackson? Or did you want all of us to say something completely obvious?”

  “If we take a small group—three or four at most—we can slip across the river, get back behind the buildings that they’ve got barricaded and take out the mortars. Once those are down you can order the units to move forward and start pressing a counterattack.”

  Sarah nodded, almost without hesitation. “You’re right. Linda, you take Jackson and Frank with you. We’ll give you fifteen minutes then hit them as hard as we can to provide you with cover and a distraction so you can hightail it across the bridge. They’ll ignore one lone car, especially if we can hit them with all that we’ve got. I’ll coordinate here and—agh!” Sarah’s whole body tensed in pain and one of the medics swore and turned to look at her.

  “Listen, lady, if you don’t hold still then you’re going to bleed out! Just lay still and keep quiet!”