by K. S. Black
She situated herself behind him as he pushed the horse to a canter. The buckskin-colored mare was about an eighth of a mile ahead, their precious cargo safe.
Michele tried to bury her head into his back. She was shaking. “They remind me of piranha.” Her arms tightened around him, and she started to cry. “I’m sorry,” she whispered.
CHAPTER 66
June 12 – Edwards Air Force Base, CA
Conley kept his eyes on the monitors in front of him. McGrath stood next to him. Four QTRs skimmed over the desert in the darkened sky as they approached the city a little after 3 a.m. A blur in the moonlight, they flew in low and fast from the east to reach the landing zone.
One of the monitors split the view into quarters so they had an interior view of each QTR. The CESs were strapped in their seats like lifeless mannequins slowly swaying to the motion of fast moving airframes, no fear or nervous anticipation evident.
Twenty feet over the runway, the lead QTR advanced along the now unmaintained runway at Davis Monthan Air Force Base and a well-formed dust devil shot small rocks in every direction. Several jackrabbits scattered into the darkness. After it landed, a small platoon of enhanced soldiers deployed from the aircraft. The pilot and copilot kept a vigilant watch for any possible threats.
When all the QTRs were on the ground, the unit silently secured the area making sure that no infected or anyone else had made their home in the hanger or the staging area at the far end of the runway. The soldiers worked together unloading and checking the equipment and vehicles without a single order or command being uttered.
The two FLYPModes and two Crusaders deployed to their positions to the west. The streets were devoid of any traffic, except for an occasional infected roaming the street. They made excellent time to their separate reconnaissance areas. The vehicles lined up like the four points of a compass around the highway near the previous encounter with the group of insurgents a few days earlier. They waited for the go-ahead to close in on their target.
CHAPTER 67
June 12 –Tucson
Julie, Kevin, and Cooper couldn’t sleep. They moved through the house gathering last minute items to put in the truck. They had finished most of their packing before midnight. All the animals, except for Okami, were secured in the trailers that Julie and Alex would tow behind the Humvee and the Behemoth. Cooper had set a meet-up point a few miles north.
He and Kevin had made preparations and would stay back at the house to ensure that anyone sent to look for them would not return. Then they would all head out to Cooper’s bunker. At least that was the plan.
* * *
Cooper stood in front of his bathroom mirror and gingerly touched the eye that was still swollen shut. Ugly black and purple bruises colored the skin beneath both eyes. He pressed gently on the bandages that extended past the bridge of his nose. Even with the ice packs and ibuprofen, his nose continued to throb. He ran his finger across the stitches on his brow and moved in closer to look at his split lower lip. Both lips felt puffy and bruised.
He had suffered through a couple of black eyes and a broken nose playing college ball but nothing like this. He worried that his injuries would put everyone at risk. His lack of situational awareness had put him in this state. It wasn’t going to happen again.
* * *
Alex checked Katrina for signs of infection and changed the bandages on both wounds, but due to the pain meds, she remained in a semi-conscious state. Although her condition appeared stable, Alex was concerned about infection, especially since the bullet fragments were removed in less than optimal environments. With her help, Katrina limped into the living room where everyone else was starting to gather.
CHAPTER 68
June 12 – Edwards Air Force Base, CA
Before any hints of sunlight appeared in the sky, McGrath watched his monitor as a drone made a low pass trying to get a visual inside a large garage on the southwest side of Tucson. It zipped to the next building over.
The crack from the 7.62 mm round that hit the slow moving drone was almost as loud as the shouts from the sniper who had shot down the flying spy.
McGrath looked to the monitor on his right as a second drone captured images of a bald man with a bandana wrapped around his forehead. He picked up the downed drone. He looked up as if he was trying to spot any other aircraft in the area. Then he ran inside the garage.
Lights had come on and the echo of barking dogs reverberated in the pre-dawn as half-dressed men in low-rider jeans ran out of the buildings from different directions towards their vehicles.
McGrath had ordered Conley to take a fifteen minute break. It had been fifteen minutes to the second when Conley opened the door to the heavily guarded communication module and slammed it behind him.
“Goddamn it! Did you order one of my drones into the containment zone while I was gone?”
The CESs sat at their posts unfazed at his outburst.
“Your unit is under my command Major. You are mistaken that they’re your drones. I had orders to get better intelligence on this militia before we remove them from the area. I gave the four advanced units the order to send in a drone.”
Conley smashed his fist between the two keyboards in front of McGrath leaving an impression of his knuckles in the metal table. “Now they know we’re coming.”
“Step away from me, Major. General Kiefer will be hearing about this outburst.”
* * *
Conley clenched his teeth, fists balled at his sides. McGrath gave up his seat. He took a breath and sat down at the main console. The center display screen flickered and caught his attention. The FLYPModes and the Crusaders had engaged the technicals and the other armored vehicles that were attempting to leave the containment area.
He ordered the first QTR to launch. On screen, it climbed higher and higher into the sky above Davis-Monthan.
“Set Stage—commence when on scene.” He spoke calmly.
“Set Stage—commence when on scene. Roger.”
McGrath was standing next to him and leaned forward.
He deployed the other ACWR units and the second QTR. He kept his eyes moving from screen to screen.
The first QTR was in position. “On scene at DZ. Ramp opening—check. Ramp open—check. Ramp locked—check. On stage.”
“Deploy. Deploy. Deploy,” Conley ordered.
He and McGrath watched the QTR, armed with a 20mm chain gun, fly silently over the containment area as a sliver of sun rose above the horizon. A drogue chute deployed first quickly letting out line connected to the release lever of a MOAB. The bomb slid effortlessly out of the back of the aircraft and fell quietly towards its target.
On another screen the FLYPModes and Crusaders disengaged from the target area under a cover of heavy smoke.
The MOAB detonated. The screen went white for a few seconds before slowly revealing a blast cloud and a fire burning over a large area of road.
“Set Delta Zulu,” Conley stared at the screen.
“Set Delta Zulu. Roger.”
The teams moved in from all sides around the insurgent territory. “Visual contact obstructed in three.”
“Mark.”
A countdown appeared.
“Overlay weather satellite and match magnification,” McGrath ordered.
A satellite image of the greater Tucson area appeared with the weather overlay showing a fast moving storm front approaching.
“Sirs, losing satellite visual in approximately two mikes. Transmitting visual from QTRs on scene. Executing Delta Zulu when in position.”
“Send WASP-1 to secondary position when viable. Over,” Conley ordered.
The replies were immediate.
“Delta Zulu.” Click. Click.
“WASP-1. Click. Click.
Two of the screens displayed the camera feeds from both the QTRs now on scene. One of the aircraft rushed down towards the ground to an empty lot on the outside edge of the blast. Soldiers exited the QTR as it hovered above the ground. T
he satellite feed was lost when the QTR ascended.
The chatter that continued to come through the speakers was calm and orderly.
“Contact 2-7-1. Engaging 2-7-1.” A 20mm chain gun fired in the background. “Contact 2-7-1 destroyed . . . Deployed mines 2-5-9-1.”
“Mines 2-5-9-1.” Click. Click.
On the center screen, the second QTR was in pursuit of five technicals about a mile away from the blast area with the QTR providing the visual.
“Engaging insurgent technicals.” The QTR’s two 20mm Chain guns unleashed their loads. One by one, the technicals were picked off and turned into fireballs as they veered off the road. “Insurgent technicals destroyed.”
The fighting continued for fifteen more minutes until all the technicals in the area were destroyed.
“WASP-1, go secondary.”
“WASP-1, going secondary.”
“WASP-1, go visual,” Conley ordered.
“WASP-1, going visual. Roger.”
The small aircraft headed east.
The chatter coming over the speakers had quieted down. The main fight was over and mop-up was in progress, but without the broader view that the satellite feed had provided, it was unclear how many insurgents had managed to escape.
“Complete mop up and return to Forward Operating Base. Return to actual ASAP.”
“Return to FOB in five mikes. ETA to actual in approximately five hours.” Click. Click.
Conley leaned back in his chair. “And that’s how you do it!” On the center screen, a red dot moved away from the others across Tucson. “Tell me, Captain—why was it necessary to send my warrant officer to take out your hacker when your CSDC units already took out his computers? It’s not like this Cooper Reid, his daughter, and some podunk deputy are threats to us anymore. From the concentration of infected in the area, I give them a week. Two at most.”
“Major, I have my orders and you have yours. Don’t question me.”
Conley remained expressionless and turned his attention back to the next task at hand and the video feed displayed on the center monitor. “WASP-1—ETA to secondary? Over.”
“ETA four mikes.”
“What’s your PNR to FOB? Over.”
“PNR to FOB is twelve mikes.”
“Execute secondary.” Click. Click. “This should take care of your hacker, Captain. But if Reid is smart, he would’ve gotten the hell out of Dodge as soon as he heard the MOAB go off.”
After four minutes had passed, the screen displayed a view of the desert and houses as WASP-1 rushed by. After several more minutes, the target came into view as the aircraft began its descent. It circled the perimeter of the property spiraling closer to the house before unleashing its payload. The unmistakable sound of the 20mm chain gun vibrated the speakers.
Chunks of adobe crumbled to the ground exposing a large section of the house’s interior. Several bursts of return fire came from the house. Seconds later WASP-1 fired two of its missiles. The explosions blew the roof off the house and sent debris and flames flying in all directions. The target area disappeared under a heavy cloud of white smoke.
CHAPTER 69
June 12—Eastside of Tucson
Cooper had been watching the house from a secure area when it exploded. No one was inside, except for Kevin.
Julie’s voice was coming from the walkie next to him, her panic unmistakable. “Cooper, are you there? Are you okay? Answer me. Cooper, goddamn it! You need to answer me. Was that the house? Cooper! Kevin! Answer me. Are you there?”
* * *
Thirty minutes earlier, the shock wave from the MOAB had rocked the entire house. Everyone had gathered in the living room to go over the evacuation plan. A few seconds later they heard the boom from an explosion that Cooper figured was about twenty miles away, near the highway.
“They’re here!” They all looked expectantly at him. “Let’s get to it!”
Julie and Hayley headed to the Humvee. After Alex helped Katrina inside the Behemoth, she followed Julie out of the neighborhood. They drove north towards the meetup point. Cooper had instructed them to stop at a designated lookout off of Redington Road so they could alert him to anything coming towards the house. They would continue north when he gave the signal.
Cooper drove the Jeep to a house less than half a mile away. It was situated on an elevated ridge that overlooked his property. He and Kevin had rigged a plywood platform in the bedroom and mounted thick quilted blankets onto the walls from ceiling to floor, to include the windows, to prevent anyone from locating his position.
Cooper got down on his stomach on the platform behind his Barret M107. He pulled a thick canvas tarp over him before looking out the window through the scope and was thankful that his right eye wasn’t swollen shut. He was about to find out whether the thousand dollar a day sniper course had been a worthwhile investment. The magazine was preloaded with the EXACTO bullets from Perryville. The smart bullets, with their built-in guidance capabilities, were going to make his job easier. He hoped.
Kevin’s voice came over the walkie. “Do you see anything?”
“Nothing yet. Julie, are you all in position? Do you see anything?”
“We’re in position. It’s clear except for smoke and some gunfire in the distance,” she said.
“Are you sure I’ll be safe in this pod?” Kevin asked.
“We’ve already gone over everything. Once you close the hatch, no one will know you’re inside. The pod is made to survive a major earthquake. Just make sure you’re ready to get in before any shooting starts.”
“Okay, but—“
“Man up, dude.” Hayley’s voice came over the walkie.
After a couple minutes of silence, Kevin asked, “What if I have to stay in here for a day or two. I’m not going to run out of air am I?”
“You won’t be in there for more than a couple of hours. Get in when I tell you to and keep your eyes on the monitors inside. The house is wired to protect itself. All you have to do is flip the switches under any of the lights on the panel if they come on. I’ll take care of anyone approaching the house. You should see them coming on the monitors.”
“You both need to shut up—I think I see something coming your way,” Julie said. “It looks like some kind of strange helicopter. It’s pretty small.”
“Kevin, can you see anything?” Cooper asked.
“Not yet. Wait. I see it!”
Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrp! The noise from the chain gun made Cooper flinch.
“Holy shit! I’m under attack.” Kevin yelled into the walkie.
Cooper scanned the area with his good eye but didn’t see any vehicles advancing on his house. When he looked up, a small, black helo was forty yards from his property. “Get in the pod!”
The chain gun fired again, knocking large chunks of adobe off the house and destroying the clay roof tiles and solar panels. Cooper’s mind raced. How could he be so stupid? He hadn’t planned on an aerial assault. Kevin needed time to get in the pod so he took aim. What was he supposed to aim at? The helicopter was so small. Was the engine under the rotor head? Could he get a shot off at the pilot?
He aimed at the pilot, but the helo turned towards the house. The tail section blocked any viable shot he had. He aimed under the rotor head and fired a Hail Mary shot just before he lost sight of his target. The helo continued its assault. Cooper had no idea if his aim was true. He prayed that the EXACTO bullet had worked as advertised.
“Kevin? Are you alright?”
There was no answer as the chain gun continued to fire, destroying section after section of the house. Popping noises and puffs of smoke came from the outer defense system. This had to have been Kevin inside the pod, but it wasn’t going to do much against this strange helicopter.
Moving sideways across the house, the helo continued to pummel the exterior with gunfire. Cooper could see small wisps of smoke coming from under the rotor head as the helo gained elevation and backed away. The EXACTO had worked its magic. Taking a
im again, he watched through his scope as the pilot worked the controls; he pulled the trigger but the helo was gone.
Breaking every rule the sniper instructor had taught him, he pulled off the heavy tarp and found the fast moving helo in the scope again and tried to get one more EXACTO round off, but before he could, his house exploded.
The blast threw him out of position. He jumped down from the platform, made his way to the window, and peeled away the blanket that obstructed his view. Two white smoke trails from the helo led away from the house. A small mushroom cloud of flames and thick, black smoke climbed up into the sky while what was left of his house lay in fiery ruins on the ground.
“Oh, my god.” The small helo whirled out of control away from the explosion. The pilot fell out of the aircraft and tumbled towards the ground.
Julie’s voice was coming over the walkie.
CHAPTER 70
June 12 – Edwards Air Force Base
“WASP-1. Report. Over. WASP-1—what’s your status? Report. Over.” Conley tried to reach the pilot. He couldn’t make out what he was seeing on the screen because the streaming images were pixelated and distorted.
“The Warrant Officer was too close to the blast,” McGrath said.
After a few seconds, the video feed normalized and confirmed that WASP-1 was out of control as the ground rushed up and filled the screen. The red dot that used to be WASP-1 disappeared from the center screen.
CHAPTER 71
The pilot fell three hundred feet and landed on the perimeter wall that surrounded the inferno that used to be his house. The helo crashed in the front yard of a house across the street. Cooper scanned the area looking for other aircraft or assault vehicles. Julie’s frantic voice over the walkie interrupted his search.
“I need to check the area. The aircraft is down and the pilot might be dead. Hold for now.”