by Jim Roberts
Isabella banked the bird heavily to the right in order to miss a large office complex looming ahead of the aircraft.
The sudden maneuver gave Joe a perfect firing line on one of the Hyperions'. He fired the gatling cannon, his ears bursting as the weapon belched hellfire. The Hyperion yawed sharply, slowing itself down to bring it out of the line of fire.
Joe was starting to feel woozy from the constant jarring movement of the Black Hawk. His horizon line was continually switching from the city below to the blue sky above and it was starting to make him ill.
He heard Rourke firing from his turret. Joe hoped the SEAL was having more luck then he was.
Suddenly, Isabella threw the Black Hawk backwards in a sudden climb. A large twenty story building had leapt into her field of view. Joe saw the Marine yank back on the flight-stick as hard as she could; the boulevard around them was too narrow for the bird to pass low. Joe was thrown against the divider at the stern of the craft as the Black Hawk rose too quick for comfort. He fought hard against the momentum and pulled himself back in front of the M134.
As she cleared the building, Isabella abruptly banked the aircraft roughly to the right, giving Joe a perfect view of the VTOLs coming over the building behind them. He hit the trigger of the minigun and watched the blaze of fire spit from the barrels of the gun. The unlucky Hyperion following closest behind them took the entire brunt of the onslaught. Joe watched in elation as the minigun shredded the cockpit of the obsidian aircraft. The Hyperion immediately lost altitude and its hull caught the edge of the twenty story building. The concrete structure tore the bottom out from under the aircraft; gutting it utterly. With a thunderous boom, the VTOL exploded into a messy fireball, consuming the upper floor of the abandoned building.
"Way to go, Joe!" Isabella shouted from the cockpit.
"Keep your eyes peeled−there's still another bastard out there!"
The other tailing Hyperion had disappeared, having not followed its wingman over the top of the now burning office building.
Taking advantage of the momentary calm, Joe hit the radio comlink, "Brick, are you there, over?"
No answer.
Joe tried again. Still nothing. He switched the frequency, "Colonel Walsh, come in, over!"
"This is Walsh. Joe, what the hell's going on out there, over?"
"Hatfield is under heavy attack, sir. Had to abort operation. We are currently in the downtown district, under attack by multiple Olympus Hyperions, over."
"I'm going up in the Barbarian Joe. We'll take a stationary recon position above Sadoma and provide aerial reconnaissance and air support, if you ne−"
The Colonel's last word was cut off when Isabella shouted from the cockpit, "Joe, their back! Two Hyperions approaching, eleven o'clock!"
Rourke shouted over from his turret position, "I've got two VTOLs on our six!"
They were surrounded. Dead in the air. The Black Hawk was hovering three hundred feet off the ground, with nowhere left to go.
One of the Olympus attack craft's broke away and pivoted around to the side of the Black Hawk until it was face to face with Joe.
Through some sort of loudspeaker, a harsh male voice barked towards them.
"Attention Black Hawk aircraft! You are surrounded. You will follow our lead towards a landing zone of our choosing and submit yourselves to imprisonment!"
Joe's hand was still on the M134.
The voice continued its threat, "If you do not, we will open fire!"
Joe looked over at Rourke. The SEAL met his eyes. There was no surrender in them.
"What do we do, Joe?" Isabella called from the cockpit, her voice shaking.
There was no way out. They could either give up, where they would likely be tortured and killed. Or...they could fight.
Joe Braddock firmly gripped the handle of the minigun. "Fuck em!"
He pressed the trigger and fired upon the nearest Hyperion. The Olympus pilots had not expected that reply. Behind Joe, Rourke opened up with his weapon, spraying the nearest Hyperion with a fusillade of fire. Joe watched in fleeting ecstasy as the bullets from his minigun tore the VTOL engine to shreds, sending the aircraft into a downward spiral to crash against the bombed out streets below.
Their moment of victory was short lived. The remaining two Hyperions' opened fire. Isabella desperately tried to drop the aircraft under the barrage of cannonade, but it was no good. A powerful thud jolted the aircraft, telling them they'd been hit. Another salvo hit the Black Hawk square on the starboard side. A spray of blood exploded from the front right side of the cockpit and the entire interior of the aircraft became choked with flame and smoke. Joe was thrown forward against the minigun turret. The aircraft began to spin out of control, as if it had lost its tail rotor. Joe's hand slipped from its hold and he was thrown out the open side door of the aircraft. The entire world was spinning uncontrollably. A split second before he could be launched from the Black Hawk, Joe's hand found the edge of the door.
He held on for dear life.
The spinning didn't stop. The aircraft was now completely out of control. He thought he heard Isabella yelling something into the comm, but he couldn't hear above the chaos.
Joe's grip was loosening. The aircraft spun faster and faster now.
He was going to die.
His fingers were almost done. He couldn't hold on. Joe closed his eyes, hoping the end would be quick.
A hand latched onto his wrist like a vice. As if it were an illusion in the smoke and fire, Joe thought he saw the face of his brother, picking him up, just as it had been back in Afghanistan−carrying him through the fire.
But it wasn't Danny. Rourke had grabbed him tight and was pulling him back into the helicopter. Joe snapped to and reached out with his free arm, finding the leg of the passenger seat. He held on for dear life.
Isabella's voice shouted from the cockpit, "We're going down! Brace yourselves!"
Joe's world was again reduced to fire and smoke. Bedlam. He and his new teammate held on as tight as they could as the wounded Black Hawk plummeted towards the earth like a dying bird.
IN THE cockpit, Isabella wrenched on the controls, trying to level the aircraft. She had to get the nose up and quick, or else they were dead no matter what. Fighting the intense centrifugal force of the spin, Isabella managed to reach the engine shut off switch. She killed the first engine and cut the power to half on the other. In doing so, there was a chance she would be able to retain some slight control and perhaps level the aircraft enough to endure the crash landing.
The ground was coming up faster and faster.
At the last absolute second, she felt the Black Hawk respond. It leveled itself right before plowing into the earth like a meteor.
Then her world went dark.
Chapter 19
Two Minds Think Alike
Pripyat, Ukraine, November 25th
Outside the farmhouse window, Whisper could see the cloudy skies beyond beginning to darken. It was looking as if it was going to rain again any minute.
A dark rain.
It perfectly matched Danny Callbeck's mood. For the past hour, they had listened to the doctor speak, telling his extraordinary tale with verve and assurance; giving little doubt to whether it was true or not. The Canadian knew the Doctor had no reason to lie to them. Olympus had given him a raw deal. The fact that he had had the presence of mind to have his identity concealed spoke about how much he trusted the PMC.
But as to the incredible story of a Binary Code giving men supreme knowledge of the field of war? It was preposterous. Whisper had seen more than his share of crazy things in the time he'd been with the Peacemakers and all considered, he had thought he was taking it all in pretty well. Hell, on the day he was blinded, Danny would have sworn that there was no way he would ever see again, let alone wear a suit that gave him abilities beyond a normal man.
But sometimes, rationality only went so far.
Orchid walked over to where Danny was standing, lookin
g out the north window at the wilderness beyond. Doctor Mobus was breathing heavily on his oxygen, having asked Whisper to give him a few moments to catch his breath. Whisper could tell the old man was very sick, and the stream of questions they had been asking was tiring the Doctor out.
"What are you going to do now?" Orchid tilted her head towards the Doctor, her eyes never leaving him.
"We need to take him with us."
"He will not survive much longer, Corporal. If we move him from here−"
"This man knows more about Olympus then we could have ever dreamed for. His coming with us could mean the difference between life and death. We have to take the risk."
Whisper's voice came out quietly, but not quiet enough. The Doctor lowered the oxygen mask and spoke up, his voice a loud cackle.
"I'm not going anywhere, Mister Callbeck."
Whisper and Orchid walked back over to stand in front of the old scientist. Whisper spoke, trying to convince the Doctor to agree his plan. "Sir, we can get you help. If you aid us, I promise our CO will−"
"I'm sorry, but it's my choice." Mobus was wracked with a fit of coughing. Whisper could only watch him helplessly. When he had regained his breath, the doctor looked at the tin soldier in front of him, his eyes bleary, but dead serious. "My sins will take their toll soon enough, soldier. The hangman knocks for us all in the end."
He managed a weak smile. Orchid heaved a sigh. Whisper knew what she was thinking.
"What if Olympus comes for you, sir? If we found you, they probably will too."
Mobus chuckled. "I didn't come all this way unprepared, my friend."
The statement puzzled Danny. Mobus wheeled his chair over to an area of the floor that was only mildly covered with books. He leaned down, groaning from the difficulty, and pulled up the dusty carpet. The floorboards had been recently disturbed. Danny gazed down, peering through the gaps in the wood. It didn't take long to notice what Mobus had meant.
A tiny flashing red light attached to what resembled a massive brick of C4 was stuck under the floor.
Orchid noticed it as well and flashed an alarmed look at the Doctor.
"Relax," Mobus said, pushing the carpet back down. "It is my 'last rites'. A small package I purchased from that sleaze Kurtsenko before I arrived. When someone comes poking around here I don't like, or I just feel that I've had enough−" He motioned to a tiny switch built into the side of the wheelchair, "−I flip this little bad boy and boooom! My retirement truly begins."
Danny was annoyed that the Doctor had pulled something like this on them. He knew the man had his reasons, but it didn't make him feel any better knowing the farmhouse was rigged with enough explosives to put them into orbit.
"Alright Doctor," Whisper said, placing a reassuring hand on Orchid's shoulder. "If you won't come with us, we aren't going to force you."
Mobus smiled sadly, "You're alright, Daniel Callbeck, or whoever you are inside that tin can." The Doctor seemed to be mulling something over as he regarded his visitors one last time.
"Ah hell, wait a minute." Mobus reached down into the leather pouch on the side of the wheelchair and withdrew a small, rectangular object. He held it out. "Take this."
Orchid took the device. It was the size of a cell phone, with a half dozen buttons with various commands written above them. What looked like a large LED light was built into the top of the device. The Japanese sniper turned the object over several times, examining it.
"What is it?" Orchid asked.
"It's an insurance policy," The Doctor replied, his sardonic smile returning as he choked back a cough. "It is my last attempt to stop something I should never have begun. It's an inhibiting device I stole from the woman, Octavia. From what I understand, it sends out a radio signal that blocks the Code from functioning in a small radius, sort of like an EMP pulse. I have no idea what it will do to those hooked up with the Code, but...it can't be good."
Orchid passed the small inhibiter to Whisper. He gave it a quick look, then dropped it into a small container on his belt.
Mobus smiled weakly. "Well, I can't say it's been fun. I don't know if anything I've told you will be of any use. But just promise me that you will do everything you can to kick Olympus in their collective asses."
Whisper nodded. "Are you sure you won't come with us?"
Mobus shook his head. "No, Mister Callbeck. This is a good a place as any to−"
The large east window of the cottage exploded as a hard metal object flew into the room. Before it could come to a stop, jets of harsh white gas began to spray from the object.
"Tear gas!" Danny had identified the chemical weapon using the suit's scanners. He looked at Orchid and shouted as loud as his voice could manage. "Shut your eyes and get down low!"
Orchid did as she was ordered, slamming her eyes closed and holding her breath. Mobus held his oxygen tank to his mouth to breathe. His eyes began to stream with tears.
From outside, a harsh voice shouted through a megaphone.
"This is Olympus. You are now our prisoners. Do not attempt to escape or you will be executed!"
"They found me! You must get out now!" Mobus began to cough violently from the gaseous vapors.
Whisper leaned down, putting a hand on the doctor's arm. The stealth suit was unaffected by the gas. "Doctor, we can all go together!"
"No...Mister Callbeck," Blood began to stream from the Doctor's mouth. Every word was pain for him. "Get out...get to your people. Don't let my error be the end of you as well!"
Whisper nodded. He clasped Mobus's arm firmly in goodbye before getting to his feet. He grabbed Orchid with both arms and pulled the sniper into his arms. Whisper ran full tilt towards the large south-facing window in the kitchen area. Shielding Orchid's head with his arms, Whisper leapt forward and burst through the window. The two teammates landed hard−the Whisper suit deflecting most of the shards of glass. Orchid opened her eyes, trying to blink the stinging chemicals away.
Whisper took stock of the situation as quickly as possible. The internal HUD display of the Whisper suit showed no immediate threat to the south of their position. He made an educated guess that the Olympus soldiers attacking them were on the opposite side of the building. They had a few precious seconds to get to the edge of the forest. From there it was a mile run through the foliage to the city of Pripyat.
"Can you stand?" Whisper asked Orchid. The sniper was coughing violently from the gas, but she managed to nod. Leaving the sniper for a moment, Whisper moved to the corner of the farmhouse and peered around to check the area for hostiles.
He spotted them. Praetorians. The stealth armor, coyote helmeted elite shock troopers of Olympus. They were marching towards the farm, weapons raised.
"We're cut off from Yune and Packrat! We need to get into the forest get down to the city...make our stand there."
Orchid nodded, unstrapping her MP5 from her back, then cursed as she saw the magazine clip had broken apart; damaging the under carriage of the SMG. The weapon must have been damaged during the leap through the window. She tossed it to the ground and unshouldered the large PSG-1.
"Let's go!"
Together, they bolted towards the edge of the deathly forest. Whisper heard shouts from behind them. The Praetorians had spotted them. Gunfire from the elite troopers' TDI Vector submachine guns began to tear up the earth behind them. A bullet ricocheted off Whisper's shoulder armor. He barely noticed. The ground was uneven, forcing him to move more carefully than his haste would allow.
As they moved into the forest, the area began to arch downwards, forcing the two Peacemakers to watch the ground in front of them. The servo-modifications in the legs of the Whisper suit allowed Danny far greater ease in movement then Orchid, who was already beginning to stumble.
Whisper made up his mind, and hoped the pride of the rookie sniper would forgive him for what he needed to do.
"Charge kinetic leg energy now!" Danny said to the heads-up-display inside the suit. The powerful servos in the legs b
egan to hum; charging themselves up for action. Before she could object, he reached out and plucked Orchid completely off her feet again. When the Energy countdown within the helmet reached zero, he exploded down the hill in a breakneck sprint towards the abandoned city. The suit accelerated effortlessly, reaching a speed impossible for humans. Danny's heart jack hammered as the suit administered a concentrated dose of epinephrine directly into his heart. Orchid was so surprised at the action, she could only hold Whisper tight and try not to slow him down.
* * *
THE PRAETORIANS moved into the farmhouse and began punching out the windows to ventilate the area from the noxious fumes. Not wanting to waste time, Agrippina strode into the domicile, hands in the pockets of her fur coat. The man she'd been sent to kill, Doctor Mobus, was sitting in his wheelchair, hacking violently into an oxygen mask. She knew instantly that this man wouldn't survive long.
"Mobus. It's been a while, hasn't it?"
The Doctor couldn't answer. He was choking on the fumes. A half dozen Praetorians circled the old man, their weapons at the ready. Agrippina looked towards the squad leader, Sigma One, an especially tall, muscular specimen of the elite shock troopers of Olympus.
"Who was it that he was visiting?" She asked, gesturing to the broken window facing Pripyat in the distance.
"Unknown, Commander. One squad is already following them now. They reported one is equipped with an exo-suit."
Danny Callbeck.
Agrippina smiled broadly. The Peacemaker may have beat her to the Doctor, but she would make sure he never left this city of ghosts again. She returned her focus to the old scientist, barely clinging to life in front of her. The veins in the man's head were red, almost bursting.
"Well Doctor, I don't think we need to prolong this any−"
Agrippina frowned. Mobus was laughing: a hoarse, cackling sound. He dropped the oxygen mask and tilted his head back, roaring with laughter.
"What is so funny?" Agrippina's guard was up.
"The joke...is on you...Olympus bitch!" Mobus gurgled violently, his mouth spread wide in a cruel smile.