by J. G. Martin
“Why did the police stop working?” Rora asked.
“They wanted to protect their own. And as it turned out they were betrayed from within. The L.A.P.D., just like any large police department, has always had trouble with corruption. One of their high ranking officers decided that the city and the country were going to fall and he was going to take advantage. He convinced a large number of the SWAT and HRT members to follow him and they basically launched a coup within the police department.” Derek continued. “They seized control of the armories and vehicle yards and jailed the commanding officers. Some of the officers fought back but were wiped out by the superior firepower and training of the revolting officers. The leader styled himself the Imperator and the defecting law enforcement officers his Praetorian Guard. He has added some ex-military over the years, but they are still mostly loyal former LAPD officers. Very well trained and well equipped.”
“So what happened with the gangs?” Rora asked.
“The Bloods and the Crips virtually wiped each other out and dragged all their allies and subsets into the war. The survivors were forced to band together into a new gang called The Nation to keep from being wiped out by the other gangs. The Mongrels and Vatos Motorcycle Clubs joined forces to run the Hells Angels out of town. Most of the other gangs, of which there were hundreds, merged into larger gangs along ethnic lines to survive.” Derek informed her. “The Mexican Mafia was the largest gang with the most connections and they controlled the most territory. But they were still engaged in small clashes with gangs that refused to accept their rule. The gangs were slowly wiping each other out. So, the Imperator offered to broker a deal carving the city up into fiefdoms run by each gang with him as overlord.”
“Why would they accept that?”
“Because he controlled the only heavy weapons and armored vehicles in the city, and he had the best trained and equipped troops. Together they could defeat him, but individually he had the power to crush each and every one of them. They could never work together so he was the most powerful person in the city.” Derek explained. “They set up a feudal system with each gang leader as a Lord and the Imperator on top. He mostly just collects tribute from them and maintains order. He has also fended off any external threats to the city, like from Aztlan or the Collective. He and his troops mostly live in the Castle, which is their old headquarters now heavily fortified. They also have outposts at some of the old stations throughout the city.”
“So why is the name G-21?”
“That was the number of gangs that signed the accord plus the former police force.”
“Not very creative.” Rora pointed out.
“Gangs aren’t usually known for their creativity. They are however known for their territoriality and their propensity to shoot first and ask questions later.” Derek replied.
“Now you see why I’m worried. “ The colonel chimed in.
“Let’s wait and see.” The commander insisted. “If the plane is there we should be okay.”
Chapter 3
June 26, 2029
Edwards Air Force Base, California
It turned out they had just enough gas to land at Edwards. The shuttles thrusters gave out just before they landed, but Colonel Brandt was able to glide them in for a landing. It wasn’t pretty, but any landing you can walk away from is a good one. The shuttle’s landing gear failed and they ended sliding off the runway and into the desert in a trail of flame. Once the shuttle had settled they unbuckled and deployed the emergency hatch to exit.
As they staggered out of the shuttle they were greeted at the edge of the tarmac by two black Humvees without any markings. Men in black BDUs, body armor, helmets, and face masks manned machine guns on top. The Humvees screeched to a halt right in front of the stunned crew, Derek, and Rora. More men in black piled out of the Humvees and pointed guns at them.
Derek drew a pistol, but they were hopelessly outgunned by the six armed men wielding M4 carbines. He slowly lowered the pistol, realizing that even if he could somehow survive the fight; the others would surely be killed. The gunmen kept their weapons trained on the group, but parted to allow another man to come forward. He was obviously the leader as the other deferred to him, but he had no insignia and his face was also covered.
“Derek Storm. You need to come with us.” The man announced.
“I’m guessing they aren’t our ride?” Derek asked the commander sarcastically.
“We don’t have much time. You need to come with us.” The man in black repeated.
“What about the others?” Derek asked.
“We don’t need them. Our orders are to pick you up.” The man replied coldly.
“Yeah, I don’t think so.” Derek told him. “I’m guessing you need me alive so you won’t shoot and I’m not going anywhere without a fight.”
“Have it your way.” The man said, and then drew a Taser and hit Derek with ten thousand volts.
Derek crumpled to the ground as Anna screamed. The gunmen rushed forward and herded Rora and the others away as two of them grabbed Derek and dragged him into one of the Humvees. Without a further word the gunmen got back into the Humvees and raced away. The four of them were left standing dumbfounded on the edge of the runway as the gunmen disappeared into the airfield.
“What was that?” Colonel Brandt finally asked.
“I have no idea.” Rora replied in confusion.
“Who were they?” Anna asked slowly.
“More importantly, where are they taking him?” The commander interrupted.
“I don’t know, but we need to find out. We have to get Derek back.” Rora insisted.
“Let’s get out of here first!” The colonel stated emphatically. “If someone else was here before we were, they may have alerted G-21 to our presence.”
“Too late.” Anna moaned.
There was a squeal of tires as three heavily armored and garishly painted technicals roared onto the tarmac from inside the base. Two extended cab pickups with men manning machine guns and a mini-van with a 40mm automatic grenade launcher on top screeched to halt in front of the still shocked group. All three vehicles had an eagle and a snake atop a flaming circle over crossed knives painted in black on their doors.
Armed men in a variety of clothing and armor exited the vehicles and surrounded the crew and Rora. Most of their clothes were red, green, or white; and a few wore bulletproof vests or flak jackets. The one thing they all had in common was that they were all armed with AK-47 assault rifles. This new group of gunmen screamed at Rora and the crew to get on the ground until they fearfully complied.
The men all looked Hispanic and were speaking Spanish with each other. Rora could understand them, but didn’t let on. They were debating what to do with their prisoners and who they might be. A couple of the men wanted to rape and kill them, but most of them seemed to believe they would get a reward for turning them in to the Praetorians. While the men were debating, a cargo plane painted gray and with no markings took off from somewhere else in the airfield. It looked big enough to hold two Humvees, and it headed east.
This only got the gunmen more excited. They fired at the plane is it passed overhead and started screaming at Rora and the crew. All of them maintained a fearful silence as they waited to see what would happen. The gunmen, whom Rora had determined to be from the Mexican Mafia based on the colors the trucks were painted and the fact they spoke Spanish, finally tied them up and bundled them into the back of the mini-van. The three technicals then took off towards the city at a breakneck speed.
The rest of the air field seemed abandoned as they passed through it. There was some damage that could have been from a firefight, but mostly it looked like it had been stripped bare for parts and materials. They exited via the main gate and pulled onto a highway heading south. The mini-van was sandwiched between the two pickups as they convoyed down the road.
In the mini-van with them were three gunmen. One was driving, one was in the passenger seat, and the other sat on the
passenger side in the second row of seats. Both the man in the passenger seat and the man behind him kept their guns on their prisoners. Anna was in the second row and Rora, the commander, and Colonel Brandt were in the back row. All of them had their hands zip tied behind them, but their legs were free and they weren’t gagged.
Rora was stuck between Commander Khodorov and Colonel Brandt and she began squirming trying to get comfortable. This caused the man in the second row to start screaming at her to stop moving. Terrified by the screaming Anna broken down and began bawling. Both the gunman in the second row and the gunman in the passenger seat diverted their attention to her. And that was when Rora struck.
She had cut through her zip tie with the piece of glass she had palmed when they were on the ground. She lunged forward with her hands now free and pushed the barrel of the assault rifle wielded by the gunman in the second row forward. Startled, he squeezed the trigger instinctively and fired a wild burst. The bullets tore through the driver’s seat and then the driver. He slumped forward over the steering wheel and died.
The vehicle swerved out of control as his foot stayed on the gas, but he was no longer capable of steering. Everyone in the mini-van started screamed as the vehicle began to swerve wildly and then slewed towards the side of the road. The gunman in the passenger side desperately struggled to get into the driver’s seat and regain control.
Meanwhile, Rora struggled with the gunman in the second row. She smashed her elbow back into his face shattering his nose. He howled in pain and let go of the gun. She pulled it forwards and then slammed the butt backwards into his face, knocking him out cold. The gunman in the front seat managed to stop the out of control vehicle and it came to a rest on the side of the road at a ninety degree angle to the roadway.
He looked back into the mini-van just in time to get the barrel of Rora’s rifle shoved into his face. She winked quickly and fired a short burst right between his wide eyes. Not pausing, she tore a knife from the unconscious man and swiftly cut the commander and the colonel free. Anna was still screaming, but Rora just ignored her.
“Get on the grenade launcher and shoot those technicals!” She ordered the commander.
He scrambled up into the open hatch and she could hear him release the safety. The other two technicals had come to a stop nearby and sat waiting to see what the problem was. One was still in front and one was still behind. He fired twice at the technical in front of them. The grenades blew the gunman manning the machine and the machine gun itself clear off the back of the pickup. The commander rotated the grenade launcher and fired two more at the technical behind them.
The grenades struck the metal screen covering the front windshield and blew it in. The driver and gunman in the passenger seat were killed almost instantly in the blast. The gunner on the back was stunned but quickly recovered and opened fire. Commander Khodorov was forced to duck back inside as the heavy rounds filled the air. Rounds bounced off the side armor of the mini-van as Rora frantically tried to dump both of the dead bodies out of the front seats.
Gunmen piled out of the extended cab of the technical in front of them and added their fire to the rounds coming from the machine gun behind the mini-van. Bullets beat a steady rhythm on the mini-vans armor and ricocheted off the metal screens over the windows. Some of the heavier rounds made it through the screens and whizzed through the mini-van forcing everyone to keep their heads down. Anna had stopped screaming because her voice gave out, so she was just shaking violently instead.
Finally, Rora got the front seat clear and restarted the vehicle. She slammed it into drive and pressed hard on the accelerator. They lurched forward and drove onto the shoulder in a squeal of tires and a spray of gravel. She whipped the wheel around and they raced past the technical in front of them. In the rear view mirror she could see the gunmen getting back into the pickup to follow them.
“Take them out!” She screamed at the commander.
He quickly got back up on the grenade launcher and sent three grenades flying backwards at the technical. The first two blew out the front tires and heavily damaged the armored grill. But the third one must have struck something important because the technical’s gas tank blew and sent it flipping backwards in a ball of fire. The mini-van rapidly pulled away leaving the two wrecked technicals and gunmen behind them.
Colonel Brandt shoved the unconscious gunman out of the side door as they drove away. The gunmen hit the pavement and hard, bounced once, and rolled to a stop. He didn’t move, but he probably wasn’t dead. He then turned to try to comfort the shell shocked mission specialist.
“You should have slit his throat!” Rora snapped at the pilot.
“What? Are you serious?” Colonel Brandt replied with a shocked look on his face.
“Rule #3, never leave an enemy at your back.” Rora informed him coldly.
The rest of them just stared at her in disbelief. She ignored their stares. They had been sheltered inside the safe and comfortable confines of NASA. They had no idea what it took to survive out here. And now that Derek was gone, their chances of survival took a big hit. Her plans took a big hit. She needed to get Derek back.
“Now what?” The commander asked as he dropped down beside Rora.
A good question. They were stranded on the other side of the country from NASA, and they were now without their one man army. They had to get out of L.A., back to NASA, and then find and rescue Derek. Pretty simple really. It had been a very chaotic day, but she embraced chaos. Chaos brought opportunity.
“Do you have a way to contact Mission Control?” She replied.
“Not with the radio in this thing.” The commander sighed. “The only place that might have a system capable of communicating is LAX.”
“LAX?” Rora asked, mystified.
“I forget how young you are.” Commander Khodorov chuckled. “Los Angeles International Airport, or LAX for short. Before the Collapse it had a hardwired communication system for use in emergencies. As long as it is still intact, we should be able to access it and contact Mission Control.”
“Why wouldn’t Edwards have the same communication system?”
“Every base in California was abandoned after the disastrous campaign against the Collective. It was part of the terms imposed by the Collective. The military disabled or stripped everything they could from the bases they had to abandon, including any communication systems.” The commander explained.
“All right, LAX it is then.”
“One problem, it’s in the heart of L.A.” Commander Khodorov said ominously.
Chapter 4
June 26, 2029
Palmdale, California
They pulled the mini-van over just outside of Palmdale, CA according to the exit signs. There had been no sign of pursuit and no mention of them on the CB radio installed in the car. Rora assumed it was tuned to the common channel the gangs used, which meant they would have heard if the gunmen they had left behind had called in their escape. But all that they heard over the radio was normal chatter amongst bored gang members patrolling various areas.
Rora and Commander Khodorov inventoried their situation in the mini-van. No one was wounded, which was a small miracle; although Anna was practically catatonic and hadn’t spoken since the escape. They had three AK-47s with two magazines for each, and one knife. The grenade launcher on the roof had eight grenades left, all high explosive. They were still in their space suits, which they stripped off so they were only wearing the body sleeves you wore under the suit. They had no food or water besides a small cooler with eight water bottles they found in the back. And they had no shoes.
Up ahead they had spotted a checkpoint blocking the highway. They currently sat facing the barricade, staring at it thoughtfully. Concrete barriers blocked all but a narrow path through and they were staggered to force the vehicles passing through to slow considerably. Two armored cars with open cupola turrets sat behind the barriers, each armed with a machine gun. Armed and armored men dressed all in black sto
od guard alongside the armored cars.
“So what’s the plan?” Colonel Brandt asked quietly.
“We have to go through.” The commander insisted. “The only nearby way into the city is through that mountain pass up ahead.”
“Who do you think they are?” Rora asked.
“I would assume they are the Praetorians the Major mentioned.” The commander told her. “He did say they had all the heavy weapons.”
“If we get close enough we can sneak attack those technicals and then race through.” Rora suggested.
“Those aren’t technicals.” Commander Khodorov informed them, shaking his head. “Those are Lenco Bearcat armored vehicles that are similar in style to an SUV. They were standard issue to large city police forces prior to, and during the Collapse. They have purpose built armor capable of stopping heavy rounds and diverting explosions. They mount heavy machine guns in open turrets on the top. The grenades won’t do much damage and the assault rifles won’t even scratch them. The tires are solid rubber so we cannot blow them out.”
“What about the turrets?” Rora asked. “They are open on top. Wouldn’t a grenade kill the gunner if you hit it right?”
“Hmmm. That’s true, but it would be a hell of a shot on the move. Hitting both would be almost impossible.” The commander mused.
“Are you sure we cannot blow out the tires?” The colonel asked. “Even if they are solid rubber, blowing a piece of them off would slow pursuit.”
“Still, it would be an incredible piece of shooting…” The commander replied.
“I think if we keep our heads down we can get close enough for you to do it.” Rora said. “They will think we are gang members returning to the city after a little trip so they will probably let us get to the barriers. At that point we open fire with everything we have and hope we kill enough of them we can get by. The mini-van’s armor should be enough to protect us from the guard’s assault rifles. If we catch them by surprise and do enough damage to the vehicles they won’t be able to follow.”