Charger the Soldier

by Lea Tassie

  "We have a good idea," the young man said. "We work on the guidance systems for the fleet we're building; those ships are going to be huge when completed. Each ship is assigned a group of technical advisers, special people known as Mavens that the military developed years back to aid us ordinary types with the difficult math and physics problems that turn up when we're back engineering alien ships." The young man took another sip of his ersatz coffee and continued, "These Mavens are smart, that is true, but, man, are they arrogant! My best guess is that the military created another Frankenstein, and this time the monster got the better of them."

  All the men at the table laughed. Another young man added, "This time the monster was one of those hippy types, one of those guys you see on the history videos from the 1960s. He probably stabbed the guards in the eyes with deadly flowers." Their mocking laughs rang out again.

  Another young man, enjoying the high school humor, said, "Wait. No, it was probably joints, like that movie we saw in school. Those reefers will make you go mad. Quite possibly they giggled the guards to death."

  Pam sat quietly for a while listening to the comments from the young men, and reflecting that her son, Gerry, now twenty-one, hadn't indulged in that kind of stupid humor since he was fourteen or fifteen. Finally, she politely excused herself. She sat in her car, one of only a few operating in the world, which denoted her importance, and after a bit, phoned her husband. She asked him if he knew anything about the Mavens and he replied that he did not, which was odd, for he was a high-ranking general in the military. Pam flipped through the address book on her phone and, finding the number she wanted, she dialed.

  "Pam, this is a treat, you calling me on my personal line. Am I in trouble or something?" the voice asked.

  "No trouble, just wanted to talk to an old friend," Pam said.

  "Ha! You do know that my wife always checks my phone calls. I am going to have some explaining to do tonight. Out with it! What do you need?"

  "Hey, making you the world's president has changed you. I think I want my vote back." Pam laughed.

  "Tough, you gave it; it's mine now," Danny replied, with a chuckle. Pam asked carefully about the Mavens that worked at the base and about the idea that they were responsible for the theft.

  "I think that's a new record for you," Danny said. "What took you so long to get to the answer? That was like fifteen minutes or so. I think you might be getting old." He paused. "But all joking aside, you cannot run with the story. I can't protect you from the repercussions this would have if it goes public."

  "That bad?" Pam questioned.

  "Worse than you know. It's a huge setback for General Harris's plans. We are left with only a small amount of the resources we had, so now we might be in trouble," Danny said. "The last three destroyer class ships we launched a few weeks back will now have to double as troop transports, and you can only imagine how the crews are going to respond to being locked up in space with Hyborgs and Lycans."

  "Can you at least tell me how many of these Maven kids were involved?" Pam asked.

  "We think there might have been as many as fifty. We're still working our way through the data. Listen, I have another meeting to go to; I'll have to cut this short. It was good to hear from you again. Say hi to your man, and stay safe."

  That was the end of the conversation with Danny. Pam had her answer, but could do nothing with it for now.

  She went on sitting in her car. Her call to the president had left her with more questions than answers. Why would Danny say that releasing the information about the Mavens could somehow jeopardize her job or possibly her life? What was it about these kids that was so threatening? Anyway, how could the military be so slack as to allow a group of non-military young people to steal a cargo ship? The scrappy details she had so far collected added up to nothing.

  A few weeks later, Pam rediscovered the file on the abducted alien freighter. She sent the information on to Danny, who lost it on his desk for months, but eventually sent it on to the military. There it again languished for a long time before resurfacing on the desk of General Harris.

  A man never known for his subtlety, he demanded that forces be gathered and retribution be exacted. "Not going to allow some pissant bunch of pussies steal government property and get away with it!" Harris yelled at President Danny over the phone. "I'm ordering a scout ship be sent out ASAP. I intend to get to the bottom of this now!"

  Danny, sitting in his office, pulled the phone away from his ear to ensure he would not go deaf from the ranting. "Let it go for now," he said, when Harris simmered down. "With all the other building we're doing; we simply can't spare the resources to send a scout ship after a dumpy old supply ship."

  "If you say so," General Harris grumbled. "But I won't forget."

  Chapter 24 Hanna says goodbye

  By the end of the twentieth century, the Out-of-Africa theory, which proposed that human beings evolved in Africa and migrated out in multiple waves, had progressed from an obscure idea to fact. This was the justification used by American presidents after World War II for the military's space program designed to find and colonize any habitable planet human technology could reach. Like those primitives of old, the humans of the late twentieth century felt it desirable to migrate from Earth to the stars.

  Early in the twenty-first century, astronomers peering through their telescopes discovered a star that harbored a small habitable planet. The planet was dubbed GHQ179, though the news of this discovery was never released to the public.

  Within six months of confirming the viability of GHQ179, the nuclear-powered Earth ship USS Rothschild loaded its crew of 300 highly trained combatnauts aboard and, in 2025, began the eighty-year journey.

  Earth was invaded only five years later, when returning was all but impossible for the Rothschild, and the ship had at first maintained communications with the dying world. It was decided that the first task of the new provisional government to be formed when they landed would be to ensure that, should the Earth fall, these survivors on GHQ179 would be trained and prepared to one day return and retake the Earth.

  Like a message in a bottle, they became survivors set adrift, regarding themselves as mankind's last children. It was decided, for security reasons, that communication with planet Earth should be suspended.

  After some thirty years of recovery from the invasion, Earth's government decided to send the ship Loki, much more advanced in technology than the Rothschild, to find and reconnect with the lost group of humans who had set out back in 2025.

  >>>

  Gin always hated visiting her mother, a difficult and disciplined woman. Gin often felt inadequate when she compared her own life with what her mother had achieved and, as a result, much preferred the company of her father. Gin's mother, the great Hanna Massey, one of Earth's four famous heroes, had been responsible for stopping the invasion of Earth by destroying the alien command ship in orbit.

  Why Mitch, Gin's father, had ever married Hanna remained a mystery. Her father was such a kind man, and so good-natured, unlike her mother, who was hard and unyielding. And Hanna's discipline extended everywhere. Her home was always a masterpiece of cleanliness and order. Her front yard was row upon row of precisely ordered flowers, each particular color in a separate row. Her short hair was combed with military precision though the blonde color had now faded to sandy gray.

  "It's fine. We won't be staying more than a few days," Dan said to Gin. Dan was a good man, well liked at work and in the community. He was of African origin, and most people were curious about how he had survived the chaos, for Africa was one of the first countries to fall to the invaders. The slaughter Africa faced in those early days of the invasion was unimaginable; almost everyone died.

  "Remember, your mother means well, and she really is good to Reanna, so behave yourself." Dan smiled as he guided their young daughter past all the flowers, trying to make sure she didn't pick any along the way. Hanna stood in the doorway of the house, watching as her daughter and fa
mily walked up the pathway toward her. When Reanna caught sight of her grandmother, she bolted headlong, squealing with excitement, into Hanna's arms.

  Hanna bent down and scooped up her granddaughter, then remarked to Gin, "I think you're letting my little girl grow up too fast," as if Gin was somehow responsible.

  Their lunch together as a family was unremarkable; conversation revolved around work. After the table was cleared and Dan took Reanna outside to play, Hanna had time to speak with her daughter.

  "I understand that you're taking my granddaughter and your husband on the Loki mission?"

  Gin was a bit surprised that her mother was already aware of this mission to deep space, and asked, "How did you know?"

  "Not difficult. One of the ways I benefit from being an integral part of rescuing a planet is that I've made a lot of friends. Friends with lots of contacts. I've known of your involvement with this program for the last two years."

  "But I was only offered the contract a little over a year ago." Gin was puzzled.

  "I guess that's true," Hanna replied.

  "So, I'm betting that you had something to do with my being offered the contract?" Gin asked, with a slight agitation in her voice. She had never liked her mother meddling in her life, and here it was again.

  "Gin, I know we often don't get along, but I have always been proud of the woman you are." Hanna's words now betrayed only a trace of her German accent. "We both know that, of the three hundred candidates, you were the most qualified." Hanna busied herself with tidying up her kitchen as she prepared coffee, obviously not wanting to betray any emotion, especially sorrow, to her daughter.

  "You do realize this is a one-way mission?" Gin asked as she accepted a cup of coffee.

  The two women sat together at the small kitchen table, and spoke at length of what lay ahead. "It is true that I will miss my grandchild," Hanna said, with sadness. "It is equally true that I will miss you."

  Gin was shocked. Her mother had never spoken like this in her entire lifetime. The remainder of the visit now seemed to pass too quickly, for Gin had suddenly realized that this was truly good-bye, and she would never see her mother again.

  Three weeks passed, and five families prepared to board the transport to the Earth ship Loki. Hanna stood rigid in the crowd of well-wishers. She did not approach her children, but just stood looking stern, like the Sergeant she had once been. Gin, mellowed by the knowledge that, after all, her mother did care for her, turned and blew her a kiss, and little Reanna waved, before they disappeared inside the transport.

  >>>

  Some two months later, Hanna was working in her small garden, as she did almost every day. She lived alone, for her marriage to Mitch hadn't lasted long; they were simply too different. Hanna didn't mind living by herself, but she now had to live with a companion, the sadness she felt because she would never see Gin and little Reanna again.

  The teleprompt rang and told her it was a call from the district enforcement agency. When she answered, the screen showed a thin, uniformed man, who asked her if she could spare the time to come down to the enforcement camp for a few moments. Hanna said she could be there in a few hours. The man calling seemed very pleased with this, and promised to be there when she arrived.

  As promised, Hanna arrived at the enforcement office after a couple of hours and met with the thin man, who introduced himself as Constable Smyth. "A prisoner has asked to see you, ma'am. We have the beast locked up good and tight," Smyth said. He guided Hanna down several white gleaming halls to the lockup area. "It nearly destroyed three of my men to get it under control, but fortunately they will live." Hanna was puzzled, still having no idea why she'd been called. "Good thing they had on body armor, or it might have been curtains for all three," Smyth said.

  Entering the lock-up room, Hanna was astonished to find herself face to face with an old enemy. How had it come to be that Mac was separated from Charger and locked up? Her eyes widened, then narrowed to intensity, for she had promised to be there when Mac drew his last breath, to get even with him for the torture he had inflicted on Jill. This, she thought, was the opportunity of a lifetime. This was her chance for revenge.

  "Can he be released into my care?" asked Hanna, with an edge to her voice. Mac turned slowly in the cage to face her.

  "I can see no reason for not allowing this, ma'am," Smyth replied. "I can have the papers drawn up right away, but are you sure this is the right thing to do? He is very dangerous."

  "Most definitely!" Hanna grinned at Mac.

  Mac growled, low and threatening. Slowly, she walked up to the dividing field, and with a voice full of malice, whispered to Mac, "Tomorrow you die. Today you will suffer."

  "We will have the animal brought to the front office, ma'am, but first you will need to sign off on custody of it," Smyth said, as he began to lead Hanna back to the front area. Hanna nodded and followed along, brushing her graying hair back from her face. After about an hour, the heavily restrained and sedated Lycan was waiting just outside the office to be loaded into Hanna's transport.

  "Please, ma'am, can you tell me why this thing asked for you to come to its rescue here in State?" Constable Smyth asked.

  "I know this beast from the war. I guess it could think of no one but me to call, but who is to know the mind of such an animal?" Hanna replied calmly and smiled.

  Hanna drove along the shoreline of the ocean with her windows rolled down, enjoying the sea spray from the water for several miles, while Mac sat delirious in the back of the transport. She wanted him to be fully recovered from the sedation before she sought her revenge for the trauma he had inflicted on Jill over many long years.

  When, for a brief time, Jill and Hanna had been bonded by the technological mental link, Hanna experienced Jill's entire life's experiences and ever since had carried that memory burned deep in her mind. It seemed as if Jill's experiences had become part of her.

  She spoke in German to the dazed and snarling Mac in the back of the transport. "I do not know what providence has delivered you into my hands, but I did promise you I would someday kill you."

  Mac was slowly regaining his composure, and started thrashing about in the back, trying to break the restraints.

  "Relax. I will be releasing you very soon and we can finish this," snapped Hanna, her German accent growing thicker with emotion.

  Mac had long lost the ability to speak readily, for, being mentally linked to Charger and Jill, there was never a need to talk. This day however was the exception. Mac managed to grunt out a comment that turned Hanna's face red with anger. "I've killed many. I will kill many more!" growled Mac as he fought the restraints.

  "Not after today, Jew," retorted Hanna as she swerved the transport into a small cove that led to a private beach. Hanna stepped out and retrieved a heavy black bag from the back of the transport. She opened it, pulled out her body armor and began placing pieces of it on her body, taking her time to ensure that Mac would be fully conscious of the fight ahead. "She was a virgin, you bastard, you took an innocent girl and twisted her for your pleasure. I will enjoy killing you."

  Mac thrashed wildly in the back of the transport, as what appeared to be fear began creeping into his eyes. Hanna, fully geared, walked slowly to the transport door, which shuddered as Mac threw himself wildly about. She reached out and lifted the handle, and as she did, Mac slammed with full force into the door, sending it flying open and knocking Hanna hard in the chest, dropping her to the ground.

  Mac, still fully restrained, bolted from the compartment and began running up the embankment to escape from Hanna.

  Slowly Hanna stood up and reached for her weapon. She fired a single shot into one of Mac's heels, sending him crashing into the dirt and rolling back down the embankment toward Hanna. "It has only just begun," said Hanna softly.

  Mac lay motionless as Hanna approached. She pulled a knife from her boot and cut the restraints that held him firm, then backed away. Mac stretched his limbs for a moment and growled. Hanna to
ssed the knife to Mac and began removing her weapon.

  Mac ignored it. He needed no knife to tear apart a human. He began preparing himself for the task of killing Hanna.

  "Fool, you should have taken the knife," sneered Hanna. With incredible swiftness, due in part to the biomechanical body armor she wore, Hanna closed the gap on Mac and, with a brilliant kick and several punches, broke some of his ribs and sent teeth flying.

  Mac tried desperately to defend himself but Hanna seemed to be everywhere. He would lash out in one direction, only to find Hanna was now behind him.

  It was indeed a feat to kill a Lycan. Very few had died in the wars, but they were not invincible, and Mac was older now. He managed to connect for a moment with Hanna, grabbing her by the arm but, before he could do any damage, she got loose by breaking his hand. Mac let out a howl of pain.

  "Good, good, that's for the boy Jill liked, the one you killed," snapped Hanna. She stepped back only a moment, then lunged forward. "This is for the other kids you murdered." She sent a brutal uppercut hard into Mac's chin, sending a few more teeth flying to the ground.

  Then she struck downward with devastating impact, hard into Mac's ear. The sight of flesh being ripped from his skull was sickening. Blood sprayed into Hanna's eyes, sending her backward for a moment to clear them.

  Mac took full advantage of the opportunity. As Hanna cleared her eyes, Mac lurched forward and grabbed her by the throat. He was squeezing the breath out of her, but Hanna reached down to a button on her belt. Activated, it sent a huge current of electricity into Mac, shocking him so badly that smoke rose from his fur.

  "Bet you never expected that, you prick!" Hanna yelled at the twitching Mac on the ground. She spat, then kicked him hard in the ribs, breaking a couple more. She staggered back against a rock to catch her breath as Mac groaned in pain. After another few moments, Hanna walked forward and grabbed Mac by his mane and, pulling hard on the hair, she activated a biomechanical implant that momentarily increased her strength. She hoisted Mac from the ground like a rag doll and hammered hard into his stomach and face with a series of punches, all the while yelling, "She was a kid, a virgin, you bastard, she never had a chance, you tortured her for god knows how many years."