by Ken Lozito
“Alright, we’ll check it out,” Diaz said.
They drove away, and Connor kept an eye on the forest. “Do your ATVs get attacked often?”
Diaz shook his head. “Nah, don’t think that’s happened before. A few months back I was in one of the more armored ones and was caught out there while a pack of those berwolfs was attacking a herd of herbivores. Other than a few glances at my vehicle, they didn’t do anything to me.”
Connor looked ahead of them and then back at the forest. “You should call in for backup,” Connor said.
Diaz glanced over at him. “Why?”
“Pack hunters don’t do anything without a reason. What if the animal Mills encountered was a scout and he just wanted to slow down the response for the real target?” Connor said.
Diaz’s mouth formed a grim line and he activated the communicator. “Hey there, Vic. We found Mills. Their vehicle was having an issue with a power cable that’s being replaced. Is there anyone else out here who can provide backup? Mills had a lone berwolf try to take a chunk out of his ATV,” Diaz said.
“One moment,” Victoria said.
They drove on, and Connor kept a sharp lookout. “How old are these kids?”
“Typical teenagers, like sixteen and seventeen. Mostly boys hang out with Charlie, but I’ve seen the occasional group of girls go with them as well,” Diaz said.
The perimeter fence curved, and they went around the corner. Ahead of them was a plowed field that was lined with tall plants. Large yellow pods were bending the branches over.
“What’s the status on that backup?” Diaz said.
“The section chief wants to know if you have visual confirmation of berwolfs in the area,” Victoria said.
“Mills’ report isn’t good enough? We’re at the crop fields now, and no, I don’t see any of them, but that doesn’t mean anything,” Diaz said.
Connor set his implants on tracking mode and his vision became sharper. They were at a higher vantage point, and Connor saw workers with some machinery on the other side of the field several hundred meters from them. He peered at the area about halfway to the workers and his HUD showed an anomaly. Connor focused his attention on it and recognized the head-bobs of six distinct shapes.
“I’ve got ’em,” Connor said. “About halfway to those workers, more toward the forest than the fence.”
Diaz glanced at him in surprise. He gestured for the rifle and looked through the scope. After about a minute he’d found them too. “How the hell did you see that far?” Diaz asked.
“Implants,” Connor said and scanned along the forest line. “Crap, looks like one of those berwolfs is following those kids. It’s keeping its distance though.”
Diaz slammed his palm on the communicator. “I have visual confirmation of a berwolf in the area. Now send us some damn backup,” he said and closed the channel. “Switch it to broadband and try to get in touch with those guys. We’ve got to move,” Diaz said.
Diaz gunned the ATV, and Connor held on while trying to operate the communicator. “They’re not responding.”
Diaz swore and started banging on the horn. They were closing in on the kids but the berwolf was still a lot closer. Connor unbuckled his seat belt and stood up while grabbing onto the roll bar. The ATV had large tires and he was able to see over the line of crops while standing. One of the kids turned around. The blaring horn startled the berwolf, who craned its thick neck around to peer in their direction. Connor pointed the SD-15 at it and fired. An invisible force flattened a swath toward the creature, but they were out of range. Connor glanced toward the teenagers, who were already running.
“Bring me in closer toward that thing,” Connor said.
“Alright, I got you,” Diaz said.
The ATV lurched toward the right and Connor aimed the SD-15 again. This time the creature turned around and started running.
“What’s it doing?” Diaz asked.
“It’s running along the tree line. Damn, those things are fast,” Connor said.
Diaz took them out of the crops and was able to go much faster. Connor looked over to the left and saw that the bobbing heads of the teenagers were almost to the fence.
“Can they get through the fence over there?” Connor asked.
“The next gate is up ahead near those workers,” Diaz said.
The berwolf cut to the right and dashed into the forest. Diaz eased up on the accelerator while Connor scanned the area. It was like the thing had disappeared, but everything in Connor’s gut told him this wasn’t over. Where was the main pack?
They were almost to the workforce and the security detail assigned to them. Hearing the commotion, the workers gathered by the security detail. Connor pressed his lips together at the way things were being run here. It was miracle they’d survived this long.
Diaz brought the ATV to a stop, and he and Connor climbed out of the vehicle.
“Time to go. We’ve got berwolfs in the area,” Diaz said.
One of the workers glanced fearfully toward the forest. “We’re almost done.”
“Well, get done,” Diaz said.
The security detail closed in, and a woman with the name J. Scott on her shirt spoke first. “Did you say you saw a berwolf? We haven’t seen anything all day.”
Connor shook his head. He’d seen this before. Guard duty was tedious when it was uneventful, which led to the people on duty not paying attention. Two men from the detail turned around and approached the forest. Diaz kept speaking with Scott.
“Looks like Mills is finally going to join us,” Diaz said.
Connor glanced behind and saw the large ATV almost upon them.
“Hey, we got nothing over here,” one of the men said.
Connor turned back around. An alarm flashed on his internal heads-up display and then a large brown creature burst from the trees, snarling, and snatched one of the men backwards. The man screamed as he was dragged into the forest. The other man froze.
“We have to go get him!” Scott said.
“She’s right,” Mills said. “Everyone on Scott. Now!”
“No, wait,” Connor said, but the Field Operations security people didn’t hear him.
All eight of them ran into the forest, including Diaz. Connor followed behind. “Go slowly and stagger your approach.”
Mills glanced over at him and noted Connor’s gray apparel. “We know what we’re doing,” he said.
Diaz paused. “Maybe we should listen to him. He’s—”
Diaz was cut off by the screams of the man who’d been dragged off. The way forward showed the forest closing in on them, and Connor kept looking for more of the berwolfs. He stomped over to Diaz.
“You have to listen to me. This is a trap. The berwolfs are laying a trap for us,” Connor said.
Diaz’s eyes widened.
“They’re bringing this group to a choke point and then they’re going to close in on all sides,” Connor said.
“How could you know what they’re going to do?” Diaz said.
“Where’d this guy come from?” Mills said. “Diaz, take the civilian back to the compound.”
Diaz frowned and looked at Connor for a moment. “What if he’s right?”
“You guys can trail behind if you want. Steve is one of my guys, and I’m going to get him,” Scott said and quickened her pace.
Mills shook his head and followed along with the others.
Diaz looked at Connor. “What can we do? We can’t let them go off alone,” he said and started to follow.
Connor grabbed his arm. “Not that way. Let’s circle around and flank them.”
Diaz frowned and then nodded.
Connor set a quick pace. He checked the area as they angled their approach, circling around the others, who were calling out for Steve. Connor glanced back at Diaz and kept a sharp lookout, his face intense. They moved quickly in short bursts, stopping to check the area until eventually they were level with the other team, which was a short distance from t
hem. Connor slowed down, and they moved quietly through the forest. He heard a deep grunt from a large creature, and Connor became still. He raised his fist and pointed to where he’d heard the noise. A berwolf was less than thirty meters from them, its muscular square head jutting out and its gaze fixed on the security detail. There was an answering grunt, followed by several more. He caught sight of the other team, which the berwolfs were about to attack.
Connor bellowed a loud roar and fired his weapon. Sonic bursts tore through the forest. Diaz fired his gun, aiming low so as not to hit the other team. The berwolfs reared in surprise and started running forward. Connor charged ahead and kept firing his weapon. He heard several screams and weapons fire from the other team. Connor ran past the others, pursuing the fleeing berwolfs, and then stopped. The terrain sloped upward, and two berwolfs had stopped on the ridgeline. They turned around. Connor stood up and had his weapon pointed at them but knew they were too far for him to reach, so he lowered it. The berwolfs regarded him in the cold, calculating way that a hunter used to measure the threat of another hunter. After a few moments the berwolfs turned around and ran down the other side of the ridge, away from them. There were several high-pitched yipping sounds and the answering calls by others. The sounds faded as the berwolfs headed off.
Diaz called out to him, and Connor ran back toward the others. They were gathered around two men who had wounds on their legs. At the rate they were bleeding, Connor knew the main artery in the inner thigh had been missed. They’d live.
“He’s dead!” J. Scott cried over Steve’s body.
There were several large gashes on Steve’s arms and shoulder, but the killing blow had come from the wound on his neck.
Mills stormed over to Connor. “I’ve got two wounded people because of you. You made them go right into us.”
“They were about to attack. I took the element of surprise from them. Otherwise you’d all be dead,” Connor said.
Mills swung his gaze to Diaz. “Who the hell is this guy? Never mind that,” he said and glared at Connor. “You’re coming with me. Bind him and toss him in the back of the ATV.”
Connor’s brows pushed forward and he clenched his teeth. Two of Mills’ men came over and one had his weapon pointed at Connor. “Drop the weapon, sir,” he said.
Connor blew out a breath and let the SD-15 fall to the ground. The other man started to come over with the bindings, but Diaz intercepted them. “Give me those things,” Diaz said and tossed the bindings on the ground. “I’ll take him back to headquarters and Mallory can decide what to do.”
“Whatever, as long as he gets there. I’ll be there shortly,” Mills said.
The other men set up a perimeter while they called in med evac for the wounded men.
Diaz glanced at Connor. “Let’s go,” he said.
As Connor followed Diaz, he kept going over the berwolf encounter in his mind and tried to think of something he could have done differently. They’d been ready to attack. Connor knew his actions had been correct, but would Mallory see it that way?
“They were about to die. You saw it,” Connor said.
Diaz looked shaken up and didn’t answer him.
“How many of you have died like this?” Connor asked.
Diaz glared back at him. “You don’t know what you’re talking about. You could have just gotten lucky back there.”
“You know it wasn’t luck. It was a trap,” Connor said.
“Yeah, how did you know?”
“Because it’s how I’ve conducted operations before—pick off one of the weaker ones along the edge and pull the rest of your enemy away from their stronghold, then take them out. Pack hunters have been doing the same thing for millions of years,” Connor said.
Diaz shook his head and cursed. “Dammit, this is going to be a real shit-storm.”
Connor glanced up and saw a drone. The drone’s serial number appeared on Connor’s heads-up display, and he noted it for later. An emergency transport carrier flew overhead toward where the others were in the forest. Everything he’d seen so far spoke volumes as to how unprepared Field Operations and Security was at dealing with the challenges they faced.
They climbed back into the ATV, and Connor started making lists in his mind. Diaz didn’t say anything to him as they went back through the gates.
“What about those kids?” Connor asked.
Diaz stopped the ATV and waved one of the guards over. “We saw a group of kids outside the fence. Did they make it back inside?”
The guard checked his tablet and nodded. “Yeah, they’re at the next sector waiting to be taken back to the compound. They’re pretty shaken up.”
Diaz thanked the guard and drove away. Halfway to their destination, Diaz broke his silence. “Look, I gotta have a good think about what happened. It’s been quiet along the fences for a while. I’m not saying I think you’re wrong, but I have to go through the events in my mind to make sure we did the right thing.”
An alert flashed on Diaz’s PDA, and he thumbed through the interface.
“What is it?” Connor asked.
“You’re overdue for your next scheduled orientation class,” Diaz said.
Orientation was the furthest thing from Connor’s mind. “I think they’ll be able to carry on without me. Take me back to Frank Mallory and let’s get this sorted out before Mills thinks I’ve gone rogue.”
Chapter Eleven
Diaz kept driving and every now and then shook his head as if he were having a conversation with himself. Connor remained quiet. Twenty minutes later they were back at the Field Operations and Security Headquarters. Diaz stowed the rifle in the ATV’s storage compartment and led Connor inside.
“Hey,” Connor said. “Thanks for sticking up for me back there.”
Diaz nodded, and they headed to Franklin Mallory’s office.
A short while later they stood outside the office and waited. Mallory’s assistant wouldn’t let them pass because he was on a call. Connor peeked inside the command center.
“Let’s go inside,” Diaz said and told the assistant they’d be next door.
The door slid open to the hustle of those working in the command center. Diaz walked over to the nearest workstation, where an older woman sat. She had on a headset, and Diaz tapped her on the shoulder.
“You causing trouble again, Juan?” she asked with a grin.
“Hey there, Alverez, this is Connor,” Diaz said. “We had a couple of our guys get hurt. Have you had any updates from the med evac team that was dispatched?”
“I’ll check,” Alverez said.
Her fingers zipped through the interface with practiced precision. “Here it is. I’m showing three—oh no! Looks like one person was killed. The other two made it to the medical center and are receiving treatment.”
Diaz thanked her and they headed back to wait outside Franklin’s office. They couldn’t see inside, but Connor definitely heard raised voices.
“That sounds like Mills. Could he have gotten here ahead of us?” Connor asked.
“Probably hitched a ride with the med evac,” Diaz said.
“Screw this,” Connor said and stormed toward the door. He wasn’t about to let Mills go on about how his people were attacked because of him.
Franklin’s assistant tried to step into his way. Connor quickly weaved his way around the young man and opened the door. Franklin was sitting behind his desk and Mills was pacing around in front, his hands balled into fists. Mills stopped speaking and turned around, his face contorting in anger at the sight of Connor.
Connor ignored Mills and walked inside the office. Diaz followed.
Mallory’s skinny assistant came in. “I tried to stop them, sir.”
“It’s alright, Gabe,” Franklin said to his assistant and then looked at Connor. “I hear you’re having a hell of a first day.”
The door to Mallory’s office shut.
Connor strode to Franklin’s desk right in Mills’ designated pacing stretch. “I h
ope you’ll give me a chance to explain—”
“Explain what?” Mills snarled. “How you’re responsible for two of my people getting critically injured? Or the fact that you caused a pack of berwolfs to charge at my team?”
Connor went rigid and swung his cold gaze toward Mills. Mills took a step back. “Cut me off again and you’ll be eating out of a straw for the next few months.”
Mills tucked his chin in and his nostrils flared.
Franklin stood up. “Alright, let’s settle down.”
Despite how satisfying it would have been to follow through with his threat to Mills, Connor looked at Mallory.
“Damon, why don’t you go get a cup of coffee?” Franklin said.
“With all due respect, sir, he needs to hear what I have to say,” Connor said.
“Fine, let’s sit down then. Juan, you take the middle seat,” Franklin said.
Diaz moved in front of the middle chair and adjusted his belt. The corporal only sat down after Mills and Connor did.
Franklin settled back down behind his desk. “Juan, why don’t you give me your take on what happened outside the fence first.”
Diaz laid out the facts of the day’s events and left nothing out, recounting without a hint of conjecture. Diaz simply stated the facts as he saw them. More than once Franklin’s gaze slid toward Connor, but he couldn’t get a sense as to what the head of Field Operations was thinking.
“How did you know the berwolfs were laying out a trap?” Franklin asked.
“When you’ve been involved in as many missions as I have, you learn to see the signs. Otherwise you’ll end up dead,” Connor said.
“For Christ’s sake. Do we really need to listen to this?” Mills asked.
“You don’t know who you’re talking to, Damon,” Franklin said. “Connor Gates led an elite special forces team. I’ve had some time to look up some of his operations . . . well, the AI pointed me in the right direction by running an analysis of news headlines and found a pattern of events that were tied to Connor’s reported whereabouts. So if the man says you were being ambushed, I’m inclined to believe him,” Franklin said.