The Peacemakers

by Jim Roberts

  "I don't think he can," Falco replied, pacing behind the woman scientist. "He has not answered Tiberius's calls. I think the Legate will remove him from command soon. What then?"

  "Then...maybe we can pack up and move back to HQ."

  "And admit defeat?" Falco snapped, not able to control his anger at the thought of losing.

  "No, but admitting we acted too soon. This machine is nowhere near ready. We should never have acted without the entire Code. Now look at where we are."

  "I fear where this will take us." Falco said, more to himself, then to Octavia.

  The hardnosed woman turned to look at her lover's bodyguard. "Where it always should take us: the ascension of Olympus."

  Falco shook his head. He walked back to the elevator, to go and find his master.

  "I fear we have made a great mistake." He said to himself quietly.

  Chapter 27

  The Infiltration

  North District, Sadoma, Zimbala, November 26th

  Jade had been true to her word. It had taken the rebel lieutenant an hour to coordinate the rebels hiding in the northern district of Sadoma, to begin preparation of the daring plan. She had also been correct that getting into the north district would be anything but easy. The Peacemakers had formed into a team of five; Joe, Rourke, Brick, Kreiger and Jade. Together, they hiked through the detritus of the downtown, which eventually became an uphill slope into the ritzy government district. Along the way they had been forced to dodge half a dozen random patrols of drones, Centurions and even an outlying Hyperion.

  Now, finally, after an hour long hump, they were in visual distance of the Sadoma Capitol building.

  Before they had left the rebel safe zone, Jade had allowed everyone to stock up. Joe had helped himself to several clips of ammo, as well some grenades. Rourke had borrowed an AK-74, as well as a replacement sniper rifle to the one he lost in the crash. On his back, now, was strapped a Springfield M1A, which had probably been stolen from some poor NATO soldier somewhere on the continent. The 7.62mm rifle came with a decent scope, as well as a silencer.

  Brick had switched out his FN FAL, damaged in the fight against Prometheus, for a FEG NGM-81 Hungarian variant of the AK-47. Chambered instead with NATO 5.56mm rounds, it was a solid choice for combat. He had also chosen an RPG-7, along with several rocket rounds. They knew they may be facing drones, so every little bit helped.

  Krieger snatched up a new MP5 silenced machinegun as a support weapon for his M60E3. Additionally, he helped himself to a few badoliers of 7.62mm ammo for his hog.

  The Russian had refused all offers by Joe to leave the dog with the rebels. "No my friend. Bowser is good animal. He stays with me now." Brick, surprisingly, had stood up for the mutt, telling Joe how it had tried to help out against the massive super soldier back in Hatfield. The dog was well behaved and had earned its stripes in the SAS soldier's eyes. Joe had decided not to argue further.

  All in all, they were well armed.

  Much good it would probably do them.

  Joe had to admit, the plan was doable, but relied on a lot of luck, and theirs hadn't been holding up so well, lately. One major flaw was what they would do once Musabe was dead. After the diversion was discovered, Olympus would have all the time in the world to surround the Capitol building and overwhelm them.

  It was a problem Joe had to work out, and soon.

  The team followed the URAF lieutenant through the streets. The northern district was relatively untouched by the heavy fighting that had decimated the downtown. Most of the buildings, while dormant, were still in good, liveable condition. The group crept forward towards the bright lights of the compound to the north. The unmistakable engine noise of Chimera drones kept the group's eyes out. They were close enough now that if caught, there would be nothing they could do. They would be overwhelmed quicker than they could possibly react.

  Jade began moving the team on a north-west slant. Joe figured that they would make their approach from around the south west of the compound, staying away from the more heavily guarded east section.

  Jade stopped them as she received a message in her earpiece. After a moment, she turned to Joe, who was following directly behind her.

  "I have three teams of rebels approaching the area. Once they're in place, we'll have to move quickly. My people will be in the open and under fire."

  Joe nodded, signaling his men to hurry. His heart was pumping now, prepping him for the fight ahead.

  They had to become ghosts. No noise at all.

  After another ten minutes of stealthy approach, they reached the outer perimeter of the Olympus barricade around the Capitol Building. The street that ran adjacent to the twenty story wedge-shaped glass complex was devoid of any real cover. Searchlights from three quickly built guard towers standing forty meters apart along the HESCO barrier searched the dark night beyond. The team had to stay low against the adjacent buildings to avoid their glaring light. To Joe, the entire place looked like some great nightmare−a place where one would be more inclined to find a sleeping dragon then some third world president.

  This would be the end of their crusade.

  When the searchlights moved away from their position, Jade motioned for the team to follow her. Like spectres in the night, the Peacemakers followed their guide, moving along the avenue due west of the encampment. Joe could hear the lumbering movement of Cerberus drones inside the camp. As they were moving, the terrifying whine of a Hyperion forced them down as low as possible against the street. They saw the lights of the obsidian aircraft move out of the base and fly towards the south, passing over them without incident.

  Breathing sighs of relief, they continued on.

  When they had cleared the edge of the encampment, Jade pointed across the street. There, sitting just shy of one hundred meters from the Olympus encampment was a four story building that looked like it had once been a printing office.

  "We need to secure that building." Jade whispered to Joe as the Ranger checked the area with his night vision binoculars. The building was a regular four story structure painted a revolting piss yellow. Joe was unable to see any movement from the darkened windows, but that didn't mean anything. There could easily be Olympus troops inside, stationed to provide an offsite view of the encampment. Joe pointed at Rourke and Krieger.

  "You two are up. Leave the dog here."

  The SEAL nodded. Krieger looked at his new pet. "Stay." He whispered.

  The team ducked into an alley as they watched the SEAL and the Russian cross the street, staying as low as possible. The street lights along the avenue had been knocked out some time ago, Jade had explained. The city's electricity station had been one of the most hotly contested areas during the civil war. The Capitol building ran on its own generated energy.

  Joe kept an eye on Rourke and Krieger as they made their way to the yellow building. He saw them both equip their silenced weapons.

  Joe's teeth set on edge. The SEAL entered the building first, with Krieger behind him.

  It was a terrible two minute wait for the three remaining soldiers outside. Joe almost jumped when his comm unit burbled in his ear.

  "This is Joe, go ahead."

  "This is Walsh. Sitrep, over?"

  Joe checked his watch. "We're ten minutes away from commencing the operation, Colonel. Rourke and Krieger are clearing a building to use as a sniping position."

  "Good. Surveillance shows moderate to low Olympus activity around the compound. Stay low and good luck, over."

  "Roger that, Colonel, out."

  They sat for a few more seconds in silence, being as patient as possible. Not easy considering what it was they would be attempting to do in the next ten minutes.

  "It's not too late if you want to call this off." Jade murmured from beside Joe.

  "It's now or never. There's no going back." Joe looked through the binoculars. He thought he spotted a flash of something on the second floor window. Then for nearly one minute, there was nothing. Joe decided they'
d waited long enough.

  "Rourke, come in. Status, over?"

  No reply. Joe repeated the command.

  Nothing.

  Shit.

  Jade looked at Joe nervously. "What's wrong?"

  "Stay calm," Joe told the rebel, trying to do the same himself, "Rourke, Krieger, this is Joe−"

  "−this is Rourke, copy, over."

  Joe let out a breath. "What's the situation, over?"

  "Two Tangos, set inside to guard the outer perimeter. They've been neutralized, over."

  "Alright, we're coming up."

  They were about to move when the sound of a vehicle heading eastbound in their direction forced Joe to pull back. The team dropped to the ground, prone.

  From down the street came a tank Joe had never seen before. Its searchlights were bright, and obscured the monstrosity from view, but Joe could tell it was a big bastard. It rolled past them, shaking the very ground beneath them. Joe watched as the brute machine made its way towards the south entrance to the compound.

  "What the hell was that?" Joe whispered to Jade.

  "They're new. We first saw them three days ago. The cannon is some sort of high powered projectile device. Those tanks are capable of destroying an entire building with a single shot."

  "Jesus."

  Braddock would have to worry about the tanks later. The street was now clear for their approach. Motioning them to follow, he lead Jade and Brick across as quickly and quietly as he could. Bowser padded behind Brick, softly as a mouse.

  When they reached the yellow building, the front door opened and they were met by a grinning Krieger.

  "We are open all hours, no?"

  "Shh!" Joe said as the team moved inside.

  The inside of the building stank of mildew and Joe could hear termites behind the wall. On the ground near the first floor window was a single Centurion, a gaping hole in the visor of his helmet. A rotten staircase led up to the next floor. Rourke was making his way down, holstering his SOCOM .45 ACP.

  "There's another asshole upstairs. The east-facing window of the third floor is perfect for a sniping position."

  Joe pulled the M4A1 rifle from his back and screwed a silencer over the muzzle. When finished. He gather the Unit together a final time before the mission began in earnest. He pulled out his OpTab and called up the layout of the compound, courtesy of the Barbarian's surveillance.

  "Alright, let's go through it one last time. Once the diversion begins, Rourke takes out the checkpoint crew. We follow up into the compound, use anything we can for cover and make our way inside. The objective is Musabe." Joe called up a picture of the Zimbalan President. "You get a shot, you take him down." He stuffed the OpTab into his pocket. "Jade, you'll stay with Rourke here, coordinate with us..."

  "The hell if I will. I'm going with you."

  "No way, you've done more than I've asked. I need you here."

  Jade's eyes flashed in anger. "You wouldn't be here at all if not for me. If this is how we are ending this, I'm going to be there to see that scum president go down, and besides, I'm the only one who's even been in the Capitol building. You need me there."

  The other Peacemakers looked at Joe. Krieger spoke first.

  "She is right, my friend. She has earned her place so far."

  Brick nodded. "We could really use her in there, Joe."

  Braddock chewed his lip for a second before speaking directly at the rebel lieutenant, "You know the chances of us making it out of there alive are next to nil, right?"

  "If it means I get a chance to put a bullet through Musabe's brain, then so much the better."

  A thin smile tugged at Joe's lip. I'll say it again: I really like this lady.

  "Okay, you're with us all the way." He checked his watch. "The diversion begins in...five minutes. Is everyone clear on what to do?"

  The Unit nodded. Bowser sat down by Krieger's feet.

  "The dog stays with Rourke. No discussion on this."

  Krieger nodded. "Alright my friend."

  "The diversion probably won't last longer than five to ten minutes." Jade said, checking her rifle. "My people have orders not to fight to the death. They are only there to disrupt the enemy and then bug out."

  Joe nodded. "Okay. This is it. Let's do what we came here to do. Once Musabe is dead, we exfil by the east entranceway, same as we entered, clear?"

  Affirmatives all around.

  "Good. Get to position. Time to collect our paycheques."

  Krieger gave his K-9 buddy a final scratch under the chin. "Ok good buddy. You stay here, dah?"

  The dog gave the Russian an inquisitive glance, but stayed where he was.

  "Hmm. I think you are too smart for own good." Krieger said as he stood up and joined Joe and the others.

  The team gathered by the door. Joe opened it a centimeter and looked outside. He saw the searchlights from the neighboring encampment, sweeping the city beyond.

  "Alright, let's go."

  Joe, Krieger, Jade and Brick moved out of the building in single file and into the Zimbalan night beyond.

  Chapter 28

  Diversions All Around

  Olympus Encampment, Sadoma, Zimbala, November 26th

  Titus sat in the small office of the command HQ tent of the Olympus encampment. He had been staring blankly at the laptop in front of him for the past half hour, having informed his men not to disturb him unless absolutely necessary.

  It had all been going so well.

  The thought kept swirling inside the Olympus heir's brain like a funnel cloud. He couldn't make it stop. He had had the URAF forces perfectly in his sights. And now instead of being the conquering hero, he had become a vilified monster−the man responsible for a mass slaughter of innocents.

  He knew his time in command was through. The Imperator, his father would remove him from his post the moment he picked up the comlink. He had failed his sacred charge. Prometheus had failed, the attempt to kill the rebel leaders had failed and now he had gone over everyone's head and removed the President from his authority. When word got out of what he'd done, Olympus wouldn't be able to get a contract in Africa washing latrines.

  A knock came from the other side of the office door.

  "I said I wasn't to be disturbed!" Titus said, his voice cracking.

  "It's me."

  Octavia.

  Titus didn't answer. He just sat, waiting.

  The door opened. Octavia, her magnificent mane of brown hair let down from its typical ponytail, entered.

  "What do you want?" Titus asked, barely looking at the Olympus scientist.

  "You've given up, haven't you?"

  Titus leaned back in his chair, closing his eyes.

  "And what would you do in my place?"

  Octavia moved closer to his desk, like a cougar approaching her prey. "I would keep fighting, no matter what."

  "Why? Project Prometheus is a failure; the Code can't be controlled without the second half. I've usurped the President from his authority and destroyed a civilian populace. All things considered, I'm completely fucked."

  "Your father gave you this chance because he thought you were ready. In your breast beats the heart of a Brother of Olympia. I know..."

  She moved around the desk and knelt in front of him. Her limpid brown eyes met his.

  "...I know, because I've felt it."

  "Why did you come here?" Titus asked, unable to look the beautiful woman in the eye.

  "You weren't responding to Tiberius, so I contacted him. He told me his spy in the CIA had just given him the location of the second half of the Code."

  Titus's eyes went wide

  Octavia continued. "He is on his way here now, to take over and remove you from command."

  Titus sat back. "So that's it. I'm finished."

  "No. He told me himself where the Code was. It's flying above us as we speak."

  Titus was dumbstruck. "How...where..."

  "The Peacemakers are still here. Their stealth jet has been in
overwatch above the city for the last few hours. Our contact gave us the transponder code of the aircraft."

  Octavia held up a small tablet with a readout of technical information spread across the screen.

  Titus was speechless. Octavia drew herself close to her man.

  "Don't you see? Send up a wing of Hyperions. Shoot down the jet. We can still come out of this on top, you and I. You can bring the second half of the Code to your father; a hero of the Brotherhood."

  "Yes..." Titus said, his heart beating faster. "Yes I can do this."

  Octavia put her hand on his face. "You are Olympus. Make your father proud."

  She leaned forward, kissing him. He kissed her back, fresh passion burning his veins. He pulled her against him, sitting up from the chair. They kissed with breathless hunger. Titus was consumed by her. A wild idea of taking her right there and now flew through his head. He began to grip her thighs when he felt Octavia's hand's on his own.

  "No." Octavia said, breaking away. "There is no time. You have to do this now."

  Titus took a breath. "I...I'm sorry how I treated you back−"

  She put a hand to his lips. "Hush. Go, do what needs to be done. Get the Code."

  Titus nodded. He grabbed his red beret from the desk and put it on. Octavia handed him the small tablet with the transponder code.

  At that second, he heard the explosions.

  They were so strong, the shockwave caused a ground tremor through the command tent, knocking over several pieces of equipment.

  A second later, the camp alarm began to resound. Blaring out across the compound, the noise was shrill and deafening. Titus rushed over to speak with the nearest technician.

  "What's wrong?"

  The young tech was listening intently to a voice coming through his communication earpiece. "We're not sure, sir. Something is happening at the east checkpoint...wait...reports of contacts approaching the south checkpoint as well!"

  "We're under attack! Order all non-essential forces to the east and south checkpoints, now!"

  "Yes sir." The comm technician quickly went to work calling the reinforcements over the radio.