Revelations

by Robert Storey

  ‘It’s your party, sir, although we better get moving again. There don’t appear to be any military or police in this sector, but we shouldn’t hang around to find out.’

  ‘Good idea, let’s get going.’

  ‘Let’s move out!’ Hilt shouted to his soldiers.

  The gang of men, still prone and restrained on the ground, cried out as the Darklight forces departed.

  ‘You can’t leave us like this!’

  ‘Untie us, you bastards!’

  ‘Where are you going?! I’m innocent!!’

  The calls fell on deaf ears as doors slammed and engines roared to life once more. Goodwin climbed back into the multi-wheeled transport, soldiers and civilians alike retaking their previous positions.

  The Darklight convoy rolled out, quickly regaining speed, and flew through downtown Albuquerque after its pit stop.

  Goodwin was satisfied with his decision to get involved. He’d been watching a stream from one of the lead vehicles and noticed the incident taking place on the pavement. Hilt had wanted to press on, but Goodwin had insisted. The commander had returned to the site and had taken charge of the situation personally. Goodwin knew the man was a trained killer, but he could tell Hilt was happy to have intervened. He might be a gun for hire, but under Goodwin’s command he intended to show him his skills could be used more positively.

  Having worked his way back to his seat near the front of the personnel carrier, Goodwin looked round as Kara Vandervoort came up to join him after helping the new additions to settle in.

  ‘How are they?’ he said, as she sat down next to him.

  ‘Most of them are fine. They are all mentally handicapped to various degrees, except for the three women with them, who are their carers. The woman who was raped, Rebecca, is still in shock. Joseph, her dependent, has suffered a cracked cheekbone and extensive bruising, but he will make a full recovery. The old woman we found on the bed has been made comfortable, but I fear she won’t be with us for much longer.’

  Goodwin nodded, looking pensive.

  ‘You made the right decision, Richard.’ Kara placed a reassuring hand on his knee. ‘You’re a good man.’

  ‘Thanks,’ he said, suddenly feeling self-conscious. ‘I try my best, but sometimes it’s difficult when you have so many people relying on you to make the right call. I just hope stopping hasn’t compromised our position.’

  ‘A few minutes won’t have made any difference. Besides, the commander knows his stuff; he’ll get us through to Sanctuary.’

  ‘Sir.’ The door of the cab had opened and a soldier motioned to Goodwin. ‘You’re wanted on the com.’

  ‘I hope so,’ Goodwin said to Kara. Getting up, he followed the Darklight operative into the vehicle’s control cockpit. He accepted the proffered headset and put it on. ‘Commander?’

  ‘Sir,’ Hilt said, ‘we have a problem.’

  ‘Another one? What is it this time?’

  ‘The army detachment we avoided has been redirected. They are closing in on our position from behind.’

  ‘We can just outrun them, can’t we?’

  ‘We could if there wasn’t a second, much larger force approaching from the east.’

  ‘So what do we do?’

  ‘They’re coming at us from the north and east. We could head west, but that would make any border crossing virtually impossible as we would be run down by the time we reached a viable location. That leaves us with only one option; south.’

  ‘Past Fort Bliss?’ Goodwin said, knowing the answer.

  ‘Yes, we have to cross at El Paso. The sooner we get into Mexico the better.’

  ‘Am I missing something? Surely they’re pushing us south intentionally; won’t we be playing right into their hands?’

  ‘That is a possibility, but I don’t think so. If they had the manpower at Bliss then they would be coming at us from the south, but they aren’t – why? I think the majority of units at the Fort had already been deployed prior to our departure. Once we were on the move Joiner, or whoever is tasked with restricting our movements, called in any available assets to close on our position.’

  ‘But you can’t be sure?’ Goodwin said.

  ‘It is only a theory, but we don’t have much else to go on and our alternatives are rapidly disappearing. We must act now, sir. The final decision is yours. El Paso or full engagement?’

  ‘What would our chances be if we were to tackle this new threat to the east?’

  ‘We would take heavy casualties as we would be hit from two sides and effectively crushed in a vice.’

  ‘We head south then, Commander, and pray your theory is correct.’

  ‘Yes, sir. I advise you stay in direct communication with me for the duration. Quick decisions may need to be made. I’ll stream a live video feed to your vehicle from mine so you can get eyes on from my perspective.’

  ‘Good idea,’ Goodwin said, as a soldier offered him his seat so he could view the screen in comfort. Goodwin nodded his head in thanks and sat down in a tight yet well-supported chair surrounded by a plethora of dials, switches and buttons.

  ‘Sir,’ Hilt continued, ‘I’ll need you to put your microphone on mute unless we’re talking as I’ll need a clean line during operations.’

  ‘Of course, Commander, I’ll switch it off now.’

  ‘Thank you, sir. To ensure you can hear all my commands and the feedback from my men, I’ve patched you into to my audio.’

  ‘Excellent, Commander,’ Goodwin said, ‘I’m going silent now.’ Goodwin pushed a button on his headset. With the confab over he settled in to watch and listen to the Darklight officer as he followed out his order.

  ‘Lieutenant,’ Hilt said, ‘increase our speed to ninety-five miles per hour. I want to pass Bliss as quickly as possible.’

  It wasn’t long before Goodwin’s transporter also picked up speed to match the lead vehicle, the roar of its massive engines increasing as it did so.

  The convoy was really shifting now. The roadside flashed by on the edges of the green head-up display a Darklight operative was utilising to drive the vehicle. Goodwin hoped they didn’t encounter any civilian traffic on the road; at this speed and with such a large train of vehicles any accident might well prove disastrous.

  ‘Sir, the army are closing on us at the rear,’ Goodwin heard a soldier tell Hilt.

  ‘Distance, Major?’

  ‘Less than a mile. They have some high-speed light armoured Humvees.’

  ‘Tell the rear units to drive three abreast and block their path. Prepare the gunships for launch at my command.’

  ‘Being actioned, sir,’ the major told his superior. After some moments he came back on the com. ‘Rolling blockade is in place and all helicopter launch bays are open.’

  ‘We have movement up ahead, Commander,’ Hilt’s lieutenant said, ‘air radar indicates multiple targets converging on our location. They’re on the deck, sir, altitude one hundred feet. Speed, nine hundred knots. Bearing zero fife seven point two six!’

  ‘Drones?’ Hilt asked.

  ‘Hard to tell, sir.’

  ‘Launch the gunships,’ Hilt said, ‘defence pattern niner bravo eight, and get me the Phoenix.’

  ‘Yes, sir, patching you through.’

  ‘Captain, this is Commander Hilt. I need some low altitude air cover a-sap at my location.’

  ‘Commander, this is Captain Takahashi of the aircraft carrier Phoenix; we can send you two Sabre interceptors; they’ll be with you in five.’

  ‘Copy that, Phoenix, Hilt out.’

  ‘We have inbound, sir, secondary single high-speed bogey.’

  ‘Position?’

  ‘Crossing over us now, east to west pass.’

  As Goodwin listened in on Hilt’s conversation an ear splitting thunderclap shattered the silence and sent vibrations shuddering through his seat. On instinct he looked out of the blackened window and glimpsed the receding glow of an afterburner searing into the black sky.

  ‘This is
gunship Sigma Two; we have a confirmed sighting of a reconnaissance drone circling our position, over.’

  ‘That is an affirmative,’ said the lieutenant, ‘confirmed drone, manoeuvring for another pass on our six.’

  Goodwin got a feedback whistle through his headset as Hilt forwarded a message over the vehicle’s intercom and throughout the convoy.

  ‘This is Hilt, deploy all weapons systems and activate window shielding. We are under protocol eight six two, we are a go for engagement. Hostiles closing on our position. I repeat, we are a go for engagement.’

  Goodwin felt helpless and vulnerable as a clanking noise indicated shutter shields were being lowered over the transporters windows. The crew of three around him activated various systems as per Hilt’s orders. The man behind him pulled down a bulky instrument which looked like a giant helmet, inside which twin screens shone brightly. The soldier positioned the optics close to his eyes and switched on its tracking and targeting technology.

  ‘We’re passing Bliss, sir,’ Hilt’s driver said.

  Goodwin’s tension rose higher as he saw an imposing fence on their left via the HUD signifying their proximity to the U.S. Army’s base. He could also hear the rotors of one of the Darklight helicopters as it patrolled their moving airspace.

  ‘Our air support won’t reach us in time, Commander.’

  ‘Copy that, Lieutenant,’ Hilt said, his voice grim.

  A thumping explosion detonated nearby, followed by another, even closer, which rocked the transporter and sent it into a violent skid. The driver grappled with the wheel as the overladen personnel carrier veered across three lanes and then back again, only its bulk keeping it from turning over. Goodwin gripped onto the dashboard in front of him as the vehicle swerved again and finally regained its previous course.

  Another ear splitting roar shot past overhead and then another. Two more followed in quick succession.

  ‘Four bogeys, Commander,’ someone told Hilt. ‘All drones.’

  ‘Report,’ Hilt said.

  ‘Two gunships are down and three trucks have been destroyed,’ the lieutenant said. ‘Our weapons are ineffective against such low targets. They’re coming about.’

  Hilt’s radio crackled and then a muffled voice came through. ‘This is Sabre Delta Phoenix Niner, we have your bogeys in sight and are in pursuit, over.’

  ‘Copy that, Delta Niner,’ Hilt said to the pilot in the skies above.

  A deep rumbling, whooshing noise streaked past overhead, followed by another, indicating the Sabre fighters deployed by Phoenix had entered the fray.

  ‘Commander, we’ve engaged ground forces at our six. They’ve been repelled and their path blocked by surface percussion mines. They won’t be able to follow us any further.’

  ‘Good job, Major,’ Hilt said.

  ‘Sir, we’re approaching El Paso,’ Hilt’s driver informed him.

  Goodwin looked at the screen in front of him to see a mass of blazing lights less than half a mile away.

  ‘Sir, there are two class four tanks situated on the border crossing bridges.’

  ‘Thank you, Lieutenant,’ Hilt said. ‘I see them. Move the gunships in to clear the way.’

  ‘Roger that,’ the lieutenant replied as he got on the com.

  Goodwin watched on his screen as the helicopters advanced on the tanks blocking their path. Multiple rockets fired and a blaze of light filled the image.

  ‘Targets neutralised,’ the lieutenant told Hilt. ‘There’s still the gates themselves, sir, shall we take them out?’

  ‘Do it.’

  More rockets wove through the air to obliterate the massive border gates.

  Hilt came back on the internal speaker system throughout the convoy. ‘Inform our civilian passengers we will be experiencing some rough terrain and they will need to brace themselves for possible impact. Darklight personnel, as we cross into Mexico we will be engaged by hostiles. Do not return fire on civilian guards on either side. I repeat, do not fire upon civilian targets.’

  Shortly afterwards, the convoy smashed through the remains of the tanks and then barrelled on through the debris of the gates. The huge transporter heaved and rolled as it caught the sides of the narrow passageway as it shouldered its way through. Bullets whizzed all around them, raining down on the armoured skin of the vehicle as the border guards opened fire on both sides.

  Federali patrol cars barricaded the Mexican side of the crossing. Goodwin saw men running out of the way as the Darklight train broke through, sending the bodies of mangled cars high into the air. And then they were through, the United States behind them and what was hopefully the relative safety of Mexico ahead.

  Goodwin turned his mic back on. ‘Well done, Commander, that was – very frightening. But excellent work, you got us through.’

  ‘We took some casualties, but they were less than I had feared.’

  ‘Let’s hope we can make it to Sanctuary without any further incidents,’ Goodwin said.

  ‘I fear your hope may be misplaced,’ Hilt told him. ‘We have incoming contacts from the air.’

  Goodwin looked heavenward. Can’t we get any breaks? he pleaded silently.

  Chapter Twenty Two

  ‘Targets are closing on our position, Commander,’ Hilt’s lieutenant said.

  Hilt accessed the convoy’s intercom, this time speaking to the passenger compartments, too. ‘We have inbound hostiles; brace for impact.’

  Goodwin heard screams and shouts of terror and despair emanating from behind him in the main compartment of his personnel carrier as the Darklight officer’s warning came through.

  Goodwin looked at a screen to his left; it showed multiple red dots bearing down on a central white mark, which he knew represented their particular vehicle. Preparing himself for the inevitable air strike, his body tensed and his fingers clenched into his perspiring palms. Digital warning indicators flashed and beeped as the imminent threat bore down on them – and then the dots shot past, accompanied by the sound of multiple jet engines roaring through the dark daytime sky above.

  ‘Commander, we haven’t been fired upon or even targeted; they’re Mexican F22s out of Santa Gertrudis!’

  ‘Lieutenant, get our gunships to dock. I want them out of the air, NOW!’

  ‘Yes, sir!’

  ‘The Mexican Raptors must have been scrambled to protect the border,’ Hilt said. ‘The U.S. Army’s drones and our Sabres from the Phoenix must have triggered a threat protocol.’

  Goodwin adjusted his headset’s microphone. ‘I think our border crossing might have thrown up some red flags, too.’

  ‘Without a doubt,’ Hilt said. ‘The supersonic aerial threat will overshadow our entry, however; their priority will be to protect their airspace. The attack may have played into our hands a little.’

  ‘There’s no pursuit by Mexican forces from the border, sir,’ the lieutenant said, ‘and the U.S. drones are bugging out.’

  ‘Delta Niner, this is Black Leader; return to the Phoenix. Targets are no longer a threat. I repeat, disengage and return to base.’

  ‘Copy that, Black leader. Delta Niner out.’

  ‘Perhaps our luck is finally turning?’ Goodwin said.

  ‘Perhaps,’ Hilt replied.

  Goodwin got the impression the Darklight officer wasn’t one to believe in luck. ‘Good fortune shouldn’t be underestimated, Commander,’ Goodwin said encouragingly. ‘Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth and all that.’

  ‘I admire your optimism, sir, but I’ll only relax once our mission is complete.’

  Goodwin knew Hilt was right. A lot still had to be accomplished before they were safely ensconced in Sanctuary. It was six hundred miles to the co-ordinates Professor Steiner had sent to his phone during their evacuation from U.S.S.B. Steadfast. Hilt believed it would take two days to reach the location and predicted a slower final leg due to the elevation they had to climb. Goodwin signed off from his coms exchange with the commander and took his turn to talk to the convo
y at large. After he’d hopefully calmed some frayed nerves, he took a seat back next to Kara in the main compartment.

  ‘You look a little pale,’ he said as he sat down.

  ‘You don’t look the essence of calm yourself,’ Kara said, taking the sting out of her words with a smile.

  Goodwin grinned as some of his tension left him. ‘It’s certainly not the dullest ride in history, I’ll give it that.’

  Kara leant over and gave him a peck on the cheek. His heart began beating faster again and this time it wasn’t due to fear, which made a pleasant change. ‘What was that for?’ he said, mollified.

  ‘Just a thank you for your efforts, I think we’re all very grateful to have you in charge.’ She gave him a smile that could have disarmed a legion. ‘I’m very grateful.’

  Goodwin swallowed nervously. Is she coming on to me? She was very attractive, of that there was no doubt. So what’s the problem? he asked himself. ‘I’ll just go and see how our new guests are coping. I think I need to explain our situation to them a little better.’

  Kara was still smiling at him knowingly as he moved off down the corridor with a sense of confusion. Shaking off the feeling, he put it to one side as he reached the stairs and made his way down to the next level. ‘Where are the people we picked up in Albuquerque?’ he asked a soldier who sorted through an armaments cabinet.

  ‘Next level down, near the middle,’ she told him.

  Thanking her, he carried on down the stairs to the lowest floor. The noise of the transporter increased as he reached the bottom. The engines were situated beneath his feet and as he squeezed past some people sitting on the floor, the vibrations of the combustion process pulsed through his legs, an alien experience to that of normal civilian electric transport, and a lot louder, too. The noise, however, was perhaps a good thing as it should have masked the sounds of the gunfight and the explosions occurring outside; Goodwin hoped so, anyway, as their guests had been through enough already.

  He spotted the young woman he’d met briefly on the roadside; she was surrounded by her group. The young disabled man who sat next to her was looking the worse for wear, but he seemed happy enough.

  Goodwin moved closer and she turned, noticing his presence. ‘Hi, there,’ he said, ‘I hope you’re settling in okay. Have you been offered any drink or food?’