by Ben Brown
The helicopter came in low and fast, approaching the house from the rear. As they hurtled towards the house Zac looked out the open side door. He felt sure the chopper was going to plow straight into the building. Suddenly the pilot pulled up hard, shooting over the top of the roof.
So great was the sudden climb and descent, Zac’s stomach surged up into his mouth. He swallowed back the bile that stung the back of his throat. He’d never liked roller coaster’s — and this was the worst he’d ever ridden.
Zac prepared to jump as the battle came into view. It looked like a bloodbath. A large group of troops was advancing on the position that Lea defended alone. She was almost outflanked.
Her team seemed to be heading for the trees, which was one piece of luck at least. The chopper dived towards the advancing soldiers. All turned to watch as it hurtled straight towards them. The helicopter was moving low and fast again. The troops on the ground opened their ranks, readying themselves for the attack.
“NOW!” Zac shouted; both he and Chinwendu jumped.
Zac hit the ground hard, taking the full force of the landing in his legs. He rolled head over heels, finally coming to a stop crouching in the middle of the advancing hoard.
The sword was in his left hand. A single sweep took a man down, amputating him at the knees. In his right hand, he held Doc’s powerful gun. He fired off two shots, one at each head of two stunned soldiers.
Chinwendu hadn’t fared so well. The impact had snapped her left leg. She struggled to drag herself behind a tree and out of the direct line of fire. She began to lay down covering fire, keeping the majority of the troops off her comrade.
Zac was on his feet and moving, heading towards Lea.
In front of him were at least twenty men and women; about half turned to block his advance. A wall of bullets flew towards him. It would be impossible to dodge them all. Zac jumped with all his strength. He vaulted into the air, trying to avoid the hail of gunfire. Two rounds blasted through his right calf, pain shot up his leg with a burning intensity that almost overwhelmed him. Zac landed hard on his back in the middle of the attacking horde. Instantly, three subjects targeted him. Zac got a shot off, hitting one of the aggressors in the head. The other two fired before he could get his weapon around. Zac flipped up and off his back, narrowly avoiding getting hit.
The pain in his leg increased as he landed on his feet. The two remaining attackers dropped, one with a gaping hole in his chest, caused by a shot from Chinwendu, the other with half his head gone, a shot from Lea.
The pain in his leg grabbed at him again, but he forced it to the back of his mind. Zac threw the sword down; pulling the Uzi, he began to spray bullets into the throng around him.
A group headed for Chinwendu, but Zac had problems of his own. He couldn’t help her. He began to battle his way forward. The soldiers in front of him began to yield, opening the way to Lea. It was time to move!
Suddenly, a pain cut through Zac’s left shoulder. He roared as he dropped the Uzi.
Zac looked down at his shoulder and saw a blade protruding from his upper chest. Eighteen inches of steel, covered with his blood, was being pulled back out of his body. Zac surged forward, pulling himself off the blade; he spun to see a small woman holding the sword he had just thrown down.
She swung wildly for his neck. Zac stumbled backwards, narrowly avoiding death. His leg felt numb, and he was losing blood fast. The blade had skimmed Zac’s throat, leaving a long gash, which instantly started oozing blood. She repositioned herself, the sword held high over her head. Zac raised his weapon but his assailant reacted, swinging the sword at his gun arm. Zac moved just enough that the sword missed his arm, but knocked the gun from his hand.
She repositioned herself for her final attack. She was over-confident and Zac could feel it. She swung the sword again — this time he sensed what she was going to do and caught her arm as the sword flew past his face. He drove a fist into her face, shattering her nose. Her sword arm snapped under his grip and he turned the blade back on her, forcing it into her chest.
As she fell, Zac jerked the blade free and spun to see where Lea was.
A bullet whizzed past his ear as he knelt to pick up his gun; Zac returned fire as two more men rushed him from the left. He had little time to react, but managed to plunge the sword through the first man’s chest. The second swung a fist wildly at Zac’s head, knocking him backwards onto the ground. Zac fired again but the shot was wide, hitting his attacker in the shoulder. The man kept coming. He kicked the gun from Zac’s hand as he pulled a knife.
Zac started to scramble backwards along the ground as his attacker moved in. He kicked Zac in his midsection, lifting him off the ground.
Zac looked over in Chinwendu’s direction hoping for another shot from her, but she was lying motionless. Was she dead?
Another kick, this time to his face; the impact launched him several feet away from the advancing maniac. Zac landed on his hands and knees.
He looked between his legs to see the man’s feet heading for him at a great speed. Zac kicked backwards like a mule, hitting him square in the chest. It was his turn to land on his ass.
Zac felt light headed and weak. He struggled to his feet and turned to face his assailant, who was already up and pointing a handgun in Zac’s direction.
Zac had nothing left; all his fight was gone.
The man grinned; he could feel Zac’s fatigue and despair.
Suddenly the man’s eyes sprang wide with shock, and he staggered. Zac was dimly aware of several rapid shots coming from — somewhere.
His attacker turned slowly, then stumbled to his knees. His back was soaked in blood. As he fell on his face, Zac looked up to see Martinez with an M16 aimed at the dying man. The barrel was still smoking.
Zac glanced around the area; the battle was over. Dominic’s people were dead, wounded, or just gone.
Lea, where is Lea?
As if Martinez had read his mind, he said, “She’s gone. Dominic’s people took her.”
Suddenly, Zac heard the sound of turbines in the distance. Choppers were beginning to spin up their engines. He turned to see two large choppers taxiing out of what looked like a barn. He began to run towards them, but the pain in his leg was almost too much to take. Zac could feel himself becoming faint and unsteady on his feet.
Martinez was at his side as he started to pass out. Martinez grabbed him.
“Steady, Zac. I got ya,” was the last thing he heard before he blacked out.
10
Dominic watched the battle unfold on a series of monitors. He had expected to be found, but not this soon. He felt sure that all his precautions would be enough to protect his location. He’d been wrong. He watched the woman, who he knew to be Lea, reaping havoc on his forces. He could feel his anger rising — she was more of an inconvenience than he had anticipated.
“Send in the mercenaries to re-enforce our people,” Dominic commanded into the mike in front of him. He struggled to keep his voice calm and level — the last thing he wanted to do was to show how rattled he was. He watched as the mercenaries streamed into the fight, forcing Lea and her team back by sheer weight of numbers. Dominic smiled as he watched the screens. After only a few minutes Lea’s men were retreating. They were heading for the trees, abandoning her to his forces. He leaned closer to the monitors, studying her more closely. He was like a cat playing with a mouse before he killed it.
“Don’t kill her yet. Let’s see how long she can withstand our forces. Apply pressure to her — test her — then kill her.” With a smile he settled back in his chair.
He watched the unfolding battle with all the intensity of a sports fan. As his men dutifully carried out his orders, regardless of the consequences to themselves, his smile grew wider. Suddenly he heard the sound of a chopper as it roared overhead. Dominic looked up at the ceiling, his attention then returned to the screens. A chopper swooped down and into the frame. Two people jumped from the fast-moving Black Hawk as it bega
n to climb again and headed off towards the woods. His hand went to a small joystick, which controlled the cameras. He zoomed in on the woman — she appeared to be injured.
“Chinwendu, you will pay for this!” Dominic hissed as he panned across to the male, who was now plowing his way through all opposition.
“You must be Zac. You’re good — let’s see how good.”
Dominic grabbed the mike. “Leave the woman! Kill the two new arrivals!”
His people down on the lawn complied instantly. Like ants, they swarmed towards the new arrivals. Dominic turned his chair to face the back of the room. A small boy of maybe eight or nine sat on a mat on the floor, playing with some Lego blocks.
“Peter, I need you to get someone for me,” Dominic said in a sickly sweet voice. The lad jumped up and ran to him, throwing himself onto his lap. Dominic hugged him and turned the chair back to the screens. He stroked the small child’s head, as he pointed to the screen.
“See this woman?” The boy nodded eagerly as he stared at Lea on the monitor. “Well, Peter, this woman wants to hurt me.”
The boy’s face changed to a scowl and his breathing became erratic. Dominic was pleased by the boy’s apparent anger.
“Peter, I need you to bring this woman to the barn.” Dominic smiled at the child. “You know the barn don’t you, Peter?”
The boy nodded his head vigorously, obviously enjoying the attention Dominic was lavishing on him.
“I also need her gun. Do you see it?” Dominic zoomed in on Lea’s gun, which now lay in the middle of the battlefield. Again the boy nodded excitedly.
“I need you to set the gun to tranquillizer and then shoot the woman with it. Do you understand?”
The boy seemed uncertain. Dominic pressed on.
“Remember, Peter, she wants to hurt me. She wants to take me away from you.”
Dominic grabbed the boy’s face so that he was looking straight into his eyes. Then, with a serious tone to his voice, he said, “Peter, she wants to kill me. You don’t want that — do you? You don’t want me killed like your parents — do you?”
The boy was sobbing. He was sobbing with a combination of fear, rage, and hatred. He jumped from Dominic’s lap and sprinted from the room. Dominic smiled, as he once again grabbed the mike.
“Once the boy has the woman, we’re pulling out.”
Dominic turned his attention to the computers. He entered the code to wipe all the systems’ hard drives. Then he left the room and headed for the barn.
* * *
Lea was laying down heavy covering fire, trying to protect her comrades who had just arrived. She could see they were both in trouble — and wounded. Suddenly she spotted a small boy running towards her.
“No, go back or you’ll get hurt!” Lea shouted.
He sprinted towards her with grim determination. Then he stopped.
Lea felt relieved; she thought he was going to head back to the house. Instead he picked something up … what was it? Lea panicked — the boy had her gun!
Lea lowered her weapon. She held up her other hand and shouted, “Be careful! That’s dangerous — you’ll get hurt!”
The lad looked up at her. He was shaking and crying. Lea could feel his emotions welling up inside her; what was he doing?
By the time she realized, it was too late. Peter raised the gun and shot her with the tranquillizer. He strolled over to her body with the two men who had been sent by Dominic to help him. The two men picked Lea up, and the group headed for the barn.
11
Zac struggled to open his eyes as he fought the daze that still held him. His head pounded as the world around him drifted in and out of focus; a face moved in close to his. It was speaking, but he couldn’t make out what was being said, or who it was.
Zac opened and shut his eyes a number of times. A few seconds later, he recognized Martinez.
“Zac, can you hear me?”
He nodded.
“You had us worried for a while; the medic is amazed with your recovery. Chinwendu’s too.”
“Chinwendu — it looked like she was dead. Is she okay?”
Zac realized he was lying in the chopper that had transported him to the house. He perched on his elbows and looked around. The chopper was packed. He saw two soldiers attending to Chinwendu. She was still unconscious.
“Will she be alright?” he asked.
Martinez shrugged. “The medic isn’t sure. She should be dead, in fact, so should you. He’s never seen anyone survive injuries like these; yet here you both are. So, my money’s on Chinwendu pulling through, that is, if she is anything like you and Lea. Unfortunately, we don’t have the time to get her to a hospital. We will have to keep her with us and hope for the best.”
Zac nodded without taking his eyes off Chinwendu, and then with a jolt, he remembered Lea. He sat bolt upright, which made his head spin.
“I know what you’re wondering.” Martinez took Zac’s shoulder with a steadying hand. “Lea — we got a fix on the choppers that took her; we’re heading for the location now. They only headed about forty miles from the house before landing. We expect to find the choppers abandoned. We're guessing they had vehicles waiting at a predetermined point.”
Zac hit the implant in his neck. “Doc, please tell me that you can get a fix on Lea!” Zac felt a wave of fear wash over him.
“Sorry, Zac, her signal is being blocked. It’s impossible for me to get a fix." Zac could tell the old man was struggling to control himself. Doc knew, better than most, how bad things could go for Lea.
“Doc, please try not to worry, I’ll find her. I give you my word," Zac tried to sound positive. Nonetheless, he had a sinking feeling in his stomach.
“I know you will, my boy — Doc out.”
“We’ll be setting down in about five minutes,” Martinez pointed over his shoulder. “Captain Jacobson and his remaining men will sweep the area to see if they can figure out where Dominic is heading.”
Jacobson was staring at Zac, he looked pissed.
Jacobson stalked over. “What the hell went on down there? What is it with you, Lea, and her?” Jacobson flicked his head in Chinwendu’s direction, though his eyes never left Zac. “My men were being crucified down there; we didn’t stand a chance against those freaks! I’ve never seen people move like that, that goes for you too! It seems I haven’t been told the whole truth about what we’re facing. I won’t send my men in again, unless someone starts talking straight!”
Martinez sprang to his feet; he was almost nose to nose with the angry soldier. “Now look here, Captain, I think you’re over stepping the mark! Your job is to follow orders, and right now I suggest you shut the fuck up and sit back down!”
Jacobson’s men began to get to their feet; Zac could feel things getting out of hand as he struggled to his feet. He felt weak, but needed to defuse the situation. Jacobson and his men looked shocked. They clearly hadn’t expected to see him on his feet so soon.
Zac placed his hand on Martinez’s shoulder. He guided him to one side, so he could talk to Jacobson. “I think you have the right to know what you’re up against. It’s going to be hard to believe, but I’ll tell you the truth. You see — Lea, Chinwendu, and I have a distinctive genetic code that is only found in a few people. When this code is switched on, it gives us physical and mental enhancements. The people you were facing had similar things done, except for one difference. A man called Dominic Skinner has implanted them with devices, which he uses to control them.”
Jacobson and his men listened in silence.
“I won’t lie to you; this mission may be the toughest you and your men have ever faced. The truth is we all may end up dead. The one thing I know for sure is, Dominic has to be stopped — at any cost!”
Jacobson took a step back; he rubbed his chin as he looked at his men. He began to laugh. “God damn, and there’s me thinking it was going to be some-fucking-thing unbelievable! It seems like we’ve got our work cut out.”
Zac
looked at Martinez with a smile. “He took that well, didn’t he?”
A few minutes later, the chopper touched down; Jacobson and his men led the way. Zac was still a little shaky on his feet, but Martinez helped him from the chopper.
Dominic’s choppers sat abandoned; a series of tire tracks headed off in different directions.
The small band of soldiers searched the area for more indicators to prove the direction of the escaping vehicles.
After a few minutes Jacobson walked over to Martinez and Zac. Zac was looking up and down the road as he approached.
“What do you think?” Jacobson, too, started to look in each direction.
“I think they’ve split into two or three groups and then headed in different directions,” Zac replied.
“The trouble is, we only have the Black Hawk, and our numbers are low.” Martinez looked at a dirt trail. “We need to pick a direction and hope we’re right. We can’t split up,”
Both Martinez and Jacobson looked at Zac. They clearly wanted him to make the call.
“Well, Superman, what do your spider senses tell you?” Jacobson said, with a grin.
“First up, I think you’ve got your super heroes mixed up.
“I do sense that Dominic, and Lea are together. They’re in something big, possibly a semi-trailer or something like that. That narrows it down to the road.” Zac continued to look in each direction.
“You’re in command, which way? I’ll point out that they have at least a ninety minute head start, and if we head in the wrong direction then we’ll most likely lose them,” Jacobson said.
“That way, I think,” Zac said pointing down the road. Martinez and Jacobson looked in the direction he was pointing.
“Are you sure?” Martinez asked.
“No, but it feels right.”
“Saddle up boys we’re heading out,” Jacobson shouted to his men as they ran back to the chopper.
The chopper hurtled along about thirty feet above the road. There was no traffic in sight. Dominic had obviously chosen the route carefully. After about ten minutes, Zac spotted three vehicles in the distance. A semi-trailer, proceeded by a 4x4, and flanked by a Hummer.