by J. G. Martin
Unable to fire on him, the remaining vehicles executed a tactical retreat. They all pulled back until they were in a semicircle facing Stefan and then they all opened fire. He managed to dodge the incoming solid sabot rounds from the tanks, since those could probably pierce his armor. The volume of fire from the Strykers was too much to avoid, and he began to be knocked back from the steady stream of impacts. Now he was thinking he needed to upgrade his armor and especially get some heavy weapons. Reinhardt was sure to have heavier weapons and this body wasn’t designed for combat. Maybe he needed to go retrieve that rail gun from the rubble at the mall.
He couldn’t decide whether to stay and fight or use discretion and retreat. There was nothing to gain by staying and he took a risk of being damaged. The decision was made when several attack helicopters arrived and began adding their rocket and minigun fire to the mix. Time to go. Stefan launched into the air and headed back towards the West Coast. There would be time to settle up later once he had his empire back. As a parting gift he shot down one of the choppers with pulse fire as he flew away.
He had no idea where Storm had gone, and without access to all the satellites he had limited resources available to track him down. For now he would have to focus on regaining control of the Collective. Storm and the girl would pop up sometime and then he could settle the score. And next time, he would make sure he was better armored and more heavily armed.
Chapter 31
September 8, 2029
Outskirts of Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City seemed deserted as Derek, Rora, and the hacker entered the outskirts of the city. But they knew there was a small garrison there and they were bound to encounter a patrol shortly. The fake radio message giving Derek’s supposed location had worked like a charm. The Voice had plugged into the comm system and sent the fake message without any difficulty. The android had showed up as predicted and engaged the pursuing forces. They hadn’t seen the actual battle, but the explosions and smoke had been visible as they drove away.
They couldn’t cross the border in the dune buggy. They didn’t have another way past the fences and they were going to run out of gas soon. So they needed another plan. They needed another ride. The only place to get that was the garrison, so they would make a run at the troops there and see if they couldn’t snatch a helicopter.
“Is your plan to just go in shooting and then take a helicopter?” The hacker suddenly asked.
“It is.” Derek admitted. “We are in a U.S.T.G. vehicle, we should be able to get close before they figure out we aren’t soldiers.”
“What if we tried a different, less violent approach?” The hacker suggested.
“Like what?” Derek snapped.
“Like we have your gizmo there report that two GIA field agents are bringing in a prisoner to be transported back to HQ.” The hacker explained patiently. “We tell them have a helicopter ready and keep everybody out of the way because of national security.”
“Will that work?” Rora interjected.
“It might.” Derek agreed begrudgingly. “Field agents don’t wear uniforms and the soldiers are trained to obey orders.”
“They are also afraid of crossing the GIA and will probably go along with it, especially if we order them to maintain radio silence even after we leave.” The hacker continued.
“Okay, that should work.” Derek replied. “Voice, can you send the message to the local garrison commander?”
“Colonel Richardson is the commander.” The hacker added. “Have the message come from General McCoy.”
“How do you know that?” Derek asked in amazement.
“It’s my job to know things.” The hacker said slyly.
Shaking his head Derek checked with the Voice. “Did you get that?”
“I got it Major.” The Voice responded. “Sending the message now.”
“We won’t know if it works until we get to the garrison, so be prepared to fight if we have to.” Derek instructed Rora.
The hacker merely sat there with a satisfied smile. He seemed utterly convinced that it would work. And it did. They rolled up to the local garrison base and were waved in without an inspection. The hacker guided them to the landing pads where they found a UH-72 Lakota helicopter rigged with extra fuel pods waiting for them. Any soldier they encountered along the way turned their head or averted their gaze. Apparently the threat of GIA punishment was enough to make them jump through any hoop.
The landing pad was abandoned and the helicopter was empty, but it was fully fueled. Derek quickly dragged the hacker into the chopper and then got into the pilot’s seat. They needed to maintain the illusion, even if no one seemed to be watching. Rora jumped in after them and strapped in. Derek wasted no time in firing up the engines and lifting off.
He headed directly south exiting U.S.T.G. territory and skirted along their border before turning east. He flew along the no man’s land between the N.R.T. and the U.S.T.G. carefully staying just outside the engagement zone for the N.R.T. They were probably on high alert after the invasion of the C.C.A. and he didn’t want to entice one of their fighter patrols to attack them. It was odd that they hadn’t entered the war on the C.C.A.s side, Derek was pretty sure they had a mutual defense treaty.
Speaking of the C.C.A., at some point they were going to have to cross C.C.A. territory; even if it was only briefly. They would be on high alert to and given that the chopper had U.S.T.G. marking, they would probably just shoot it down. The only way to avoid that was to fly south over Order territory and then east across the Gulf. But they might not have enough fuel for that, and the Order could possibly have air defenses or even fighters. After their encounter there, he wasn’t sure they were as backwards as everyone thought.
As if reading his mind the hacker spoke up. “You can fly across the C.C.A. as long as you stay away from the major cities.”
“What are you basing that on?” Derek asked out of curiosity.
“All of the Confederation’s planes are engaged in an air battle over Bowling Green. One they are losing I might add.” The hacker explained. “And all of their air defenses are concentrated around the major cities.”
“Anything else you would like to share?” Derek asked sarcastically.
“Would you like an update on the war?”
“Yes, actually I would.” Derek replied.
“The U.S.T.G. has pushed the C.C.A.s forces back to Bowling Green, Kentucky. They have dug in around the city and are defending it furiously. Losses are heavy on both sides and it has become a war of attrition. And even though U.S.T.G. is suffering greater casualties they have mobilized more troops to send into the battle. They will eventually overwhelm the defenders of Bowling Green and strike south towards Nashville.” The man told them. “The C.C.A. has attacked and is now besieging Huntsville and Pensacola. The U.S.T.G. units defending those holdings have been told to defend them to the last man, and they probably will. The longer they keep those forces from moving to defend Nashville, the more progress the main offensive will have. Given the current orders of battle and the disparity in manpower, materiel, and resources; the U.S.T.G. will likely prevail in about a year unless the N.R.T. sides with the C.C.A. and actively commits troops.”
Derek and Rora were stunned into silence. The situation was much worse than they had realized. Once the C.C.A. fell, it would be like dominoes tipping over and the rest of the country would fall under the sway of the U.S.T.G. The only remaining threat would be the Collective and they had not shown any interest in expanding much further than the West Coast. They needed to recover the ARK and then use it to either broker a peace, or bribe the N.R.T. into joining the C.C.A.
They flew the rest of the way in silence as Derek and Rora digested what they had been told. Derek also wondered who this guy was. He knew an awful lot for a simple thief. And he had incredible hacking skills, as well as excellent field craft. The man had escaped those chains in an instant. He could have escaped all along, but he hadn’t. He wanted to be w
ith Derek and Rora. What game was he playing?
The helicopter touched down on the landing pad at NASA running on fumes and Derek spun down the blades. They exited the chopper to find Augie and Dr. Banek waiting for them accompanied by a squad of troopers. The two leaders of the Society escorted them into the secure conference room as quickly as possible. The troops escorted them the entire way and took up posts in the hallway outside. Derek also noticed that all the guard posts had been enhanced with sandbags and heavy weapons.
“What’s with the heavy security?” He asked Augie.
“We have a credible threat that we may come under attack?” Augie replied solemnly.
“From who?” Rora asked.
“U.S.T.G. Special Forces.” Augie informed her seriously. “We were told to give your prisoner back or face a direct assault.”
“I’m not a prisoner.” The hacker piped up. “I am here voluntarily.”
“Then why did Derek and Rora have to chase you down?” Augie demanded of the hacker.
“I was waiting for them, but they were too slow to come meet me before the Red Berets showed up.” He explained.
“Is he always like this?” Augie muttered to Derek.
“Yes.” Derek replied with a sigh.
“Do we even know who he really is?” Augie asked aloud.
“Frank Shilling at your service.” The hacker introduced himself cheerfully and stuck his hand out towards Augie.
“Not your real name I assume?” Augie snapped.
“It’s as good as any, General Killian.” Shilling replied with an emphasis on the name Augie had used in L.A.
Augie chuckled and relaxed a little. “Point taken.”
“What did you take from my father’s box?” Rora suddenly demanded, getting the meeting back on track.
“This.” Shilling stated simply and produced a silver cylinder.
“Where were you hiding that?” Derek asked in surprise. “I’m sure the Red Berets searched you.”
“Do you really want to know?” Shilling quipped.
“I guess not.” Derek replied with a disgusted look on his face.
“Why not?” Rora asked in confusion.
The others all laughed. “Trust me, Rora, you don’t want to know.” Dr. Banek whispered to her.
The hacker put the silver cylinder on the table and they all moved in for a closer look. It was exactly six inches long and divided into three, two inch segments. The segments rotated smoothly around, but could not be separated. One end had a recess with what looked like a cable plug inside and the other had a plunger that was slightly raised above the end of the cylinder. The surface of it was covered in engravings that had no discernible pattern or message.
Rora picked it up and examined it. The cylinder was heavy and was made of some unknown metal. Pushing the plunger didn’t seem to do anything and the plug was so recessed there was no way it would attack to a cable jack. Rotating the cylinder’s segments didn’t seem to accomplish anything either.
“This is it?” She asked the hacker. “There wasn’t anything else inside the box?”
“I’m afraid not.” He said regretfully.
“What is it?” Derek asked.
“I think it is a key.” Rora replied. “But to what or how it works I have no idea.”
“It is a key to the vault your father stored the ARK in.” Shilling said with confidence.
“How do you know that?” Augie asked him.
“Because her father’s last message to me told me what it was and where to find it.” The hacker replied as if it was no big deal.
“You communicated with my father?” Rora asked in stunned amazement.
“Yes. Quite regularly, in fact.”
“He never mentioned you.”
“Of course not. Our communications were highly secret and any disclosure of them would have placed both of us at great risk.” Shilling explained.
“What was the nature of your relationship?” Derek asked forcefully.
“Derek, Derek, Derek. I can’t tell you that. Let us just say that we were partners in a greater venture, one that you are now a part of.” Shilling said playfully.
Rora grabbed for Derek but missed as he lunged at the hacker. Faster than anyone could react, Derek had the man by the throat and pinned him against the wall with a thud. Shilling’s feet were actually off the ground as Derek held him there.
“I’ve had enough of your games.” Derek spat angrily. “Tell us what we need to know.”
“Put me down Major, I’m not your enemy.” The hacker cajoled Derek. “I am merely honoring promises I made a long time ago, and protecting others who wish to remain anonymous. Let me just say that you have allies, whether you know it or not.”
“Derek, put him down.” Rora requested softly.
With a growl of frustration, Derek set the man down and released his grip. The hacker massaged his neck as he slowly backed away from Derek. Rora got him a glass of water and helped him sit down, all while keeping a watchful eye on her partner. He seemed even more on edge than usual.
“As I was saying.” The hacker began. “Dr. Carter and I were in communication about Project New Dawn. I was not privy to all the details, but I do know that he wanted you to recover the ARK and use it to renew the Earth. Thereby ushering in a new Age of Enlightenment.”
“But we don’t know where the ARK is.” Rora pointed out. “The key is useless if we don’t know where to go to use it.”
“The key itself will tell us.” Shilling informed her. “The engravings on the outside are some form of map and if we decode it we will know where to go.”
“How does that work?” Augie asked as he examined the cylinder.
“That’s what I need you for.” Shilling informed them. “I was looking for a clue on decrypting it in the lab before you arrived, but I didn’t find anything.”
“It kind of looks like an old phonograph cylinder.” Dr. Banek offered as he took it from Augie. “If we rotate the segments, the engravings line up to reproduce waveforms.”
“You don’t happen to have a phonograph lying around that we could use to listen to it, do you?” Derek asked slightly mockingly.
“No, but we could use a laser and sound recognition software to replicate the effect.” Dr. Banek said excitedly. “We need to go to my lab.”
Chapter 32
September 9, 2029
NASA Complex, Cape Canaveral, Florida
Once in his lab, Dr. Banek had quickly rigged up a makeshift phonograph using a laser as the reader and hooking it up to his work station. They all waited with bated breath as the cylinder began to spin and the program began to interpret the waveforms. The piercing shriek that exploded out of the speakers caused all of them to cover their ears and sent Dr. Banek frantically seeking the mute button.
“What was that?” Augie demanded.
“I’m not sure.” Dr. Banek responded as he examined the wave forms on the computer screen. “It’s not an audio recording in the traditional sense. It isn’t a voice or music recording.”
“Could it be a code of some sort?” Shilling interjected.
“Yes…” Dr. Banek replied slowly and began typing furiously. “Let me try something.”
He typed furiously, apparently writing a decryption program. After a few minutes, the wave forms changed and the screen began to display a series of numbers instead. The same set of six numbers repeating over and over again.
“GPS coordinates.” Derek said immediately. “Your father loved GPS coordinates.”
“Where is that?” Augie asked.
“Give me a minute.” Dr. Banek replied snippily.
He clicked on a couple of icons and a map displayed on the screen. He entered the coordinates and the map moved over Kentucky before zooming in. It focused on a patch of mountains just northeast of Bowling Green. Everyone moved closer to look at the satellite view.
“It’s in Mammoth Cave.” Augie announced disappointedly.
“How can you t
ell?” Rora asked.
“I know that area very well, and the coordinates have a negative component that indicates the location is below ground.” Augie explained.
“Don’t you think someone would have noticed a vault in there by now?” Derek asked.
“Not if it was well hidden.” Augie replied. “The cave system is not fully explored. It is just too massive, the largest in the world in fact. It is very possible your father found an unexplored area and built the vault there.”
“And no one noticed?” Derek continued to argue.
“Money has an amazing way of making people blind.” Augie pointed out. “Unfortunately, that area is currently behind enemy lines. There is no way the U.S.T.G. is just going to let us waltz in there and grab whatever is hidden in the cave.”
“Perhaps the C.C.A. has partisans in the area that could help us?” Shilling suggested.
“Perhaps.” Augie agreed, eyeing Shilling suspiciously. ”What made you suggest that?”
“It just popped into my head.” The hacker replied innocently.
“Really?” Augie growled sarcastically. “You have no prior knowledge that any partisans might be operating in that area?”
“I know we won’t know for sure unless you ask your counterpart in C.C.A. Intelligence.” Shilling responded smartly.
Dr. Banek and Augie shared a glance. “I’m going to assume that was a good guess, and you don’t have inside information on our activities.” Augie said through gritted teeth.
“It seemed likely.” Shilling replied with a smile. “Shall we give them a call?”
Augie grumbled, but activated a button on his remote. A large television screen dropped from the ceiling. He pressed another button and told his aide to connect them to General Hall. Several minutes passed before the screen came to life to reveal a distinguished looking older man in a C.C.A. uniform. He was in some sort of command center based on the rows of monitors and work stations in the background. Other people in uniform bustled around behind him.