by Tony Teora
“I like that idea. So, where’s the rest of our Search and Rescue team? I heard Tucker arrived yesterday via a cargo ship. Look forward to meeting him in person.”
As Ace asked the question, Chip Tucker, the civilian who carried the equivalent rank of a Major, entered through the front door. Tucker overheard Ace’s last question and answered. “Some have just arrived.” Three other men followed.
Ace looked over and saw his short, stocky, muscle-laden buddy, the famous, crazy, Russian explosives expert, Ivan Putsky, walking behind Tucker. Ivan had worked with the Big Guns on another clusterfuck where they ended up blowing up half a planet. That job was top secret and took out an alien race. Some said Ivan went nuts after that job, but Ace knew better. Ace knew Ivan had some strange insight into things and pushed to get him on the team. Ivan gave a courteous nod of respect to Ace.
Ace stared at the battle-scarred face of Ivan and nodded back. “Hope you won some money the other day.”
Ivan’s eyes lit up and a smile broke his war-torn face. “Money’s good. But friends more valuable.”
Ain’t that the truth, thought Ace.
Behind Ivan was the big, tall, handsome black man, James Bo, nicknamed “Jimbo” by his former Army Ranger unit. This was another pick by Ace. Jimbo had saved a few of Ace’s friends—a smart pick on any Big Gun mission. Jimbo’s shooting and comm system skills were top-ranked in the Special Forces. Unfortunately, Jimbo had a near-death accident, so the Falcon Advanced Research (FAR) group modified Jimbo’s body a little more than most Big Gun enhancements. Reports stated Jimbo was 90 percent Cyborg. Although specially selected to become a Big Gun member because of his FAR enhancements, Jimbo never formally joined. But he was the best of the best when it came to his sniper abilities. He was also good with explosives, but not as good as Ivan—you had to be crazy to do the shit Ivan was willing to do. Ace was glad he’d gotten the two he wanted on this team.
The third person awkwardly walked in next to Ivan and almost tripped as Ivan made an unexpected turn. The tall, young Indian wore a white doctor’s lab gown with the name “Hank Kumar” embroidered on a shirt pocket. He was carrying a TekPad.
A few seconds later, a blond woman sauntered into the room. Oh my God, thought Ace in amazement—that sneaky bitch. It’s Janice! The sex bomb biologist was on the Search and Rescue team. Oh shit, thought Ace. She’s on the team? And she kept it secret. She looked a lot better than Ace from the long night as she’d avoided the whiskey and instead drank wine-bolts. All Ace could do was think of the sexy body underneath the military fatigues. Janice gave him a mischievous smile as she sat down across the table.
Everyone shook hands before Chip Tucker sat at the end of the table. “As most of you already know, I’m Chip Tucker, and although I’m a civilian, I’m leading this mission, for which I have an ECOM temporary ranking of Major. ECOM finally confirmed my team members today. It was based upon our analysis of GEN-6 and skills required.” Tucker read from an e-paper.
“Ivan Putsky is an explosives expert. Because of the lockdown, and a possible lockdown code change, we may need to blow our way into the base. We have James Bo, who is an Eagle Eye-certified shot. We may need some sniper work, and if there’s a man to do it, James has the eyes. Janice is our top biologist and will bring sensors to ensure the infection that made half the base sick doesn’t infect us. We think we’ll be fine because we’ve had some communication with the healthy scientists. The west end of the base had a containment breach, and that’s where the trouble is.
“We also have the Big Gun man of steel, Captain Ace Archer, who was the only one besides me and Kiya who was picked before we left Moon Base Sigma. Earth Command’s DARPA’s Intelligence Agency chose Ace for this mission. If DIA didn’t select Ace for us, I would have done it myself. His background is quite unique.”
Ace nodded, smiling, sensing a lie.
Tucker continued. “Marine Captain Archer is one of the few. He’s a Big Gun Marine, and some of you may have heard of him already as he used some of his special abilities to break up a defenseless, old, wrecked robot.” Ivan and a few others laughed. Tucker smiled at Ace, who just sat quietly.
“Kiya is our remote viewer,” added Major Tucker. “Now, for those of you who don’t know or don’t believe in remote viewing, Earth Command has discovered that some people have the uncanny ability to see things without ever going there. Some are good, and one is great. Kiya is the best of the best, and we’re pleased to have those eyes. Earth Command’s Joint Staff picked her, as well as Janice. Ivan and Jimbo were on the short list, too, but with some undue influence from Earth Defense, they were added. Seems like Captain Archer had some say in that decision. Nice to have friends in high places.”
“You must have friends in high places too, Major. Who chose you and why?” demanded Ace, sounding a little more callous than he’d expected.
Tucker gave a nervous laugh and shook his head. “That’s a hairy kinda ballsy question, Captain.”
Janice looked over at Ace and smiled. Ace frowned, thinking of his hairless balls.
Major Tucker continued. “But Captain, since we’re on a Space Navy ship, I’m gonna call you Major Archer, if that’s okay—so folks don’t get confused with the captain that flies this bird. You don’t mind, do you?”
“I’d prefer Ace to Major. And since you’re not really a Marine Major, but an equivalent, I hope you don’t mind if I call you Tucker.”
“No—of course not. And I’ll answer your question. I was chosen by the Earth Defense Intelligence because of my work at Black Operation Technologies, better known as BOT. BOT has a lot experience with off-world viruses and space sickness.”
Ace nodded. “Well, they should, since BOT created some of the nastiest bugs found at the Gamma colonization fiasco. I can see how BOT’s experience could prove useful.” Ace knew all about that virus because the Big Guns had a secret mission to clean up part of the mess. They ended up blowing up half the planet to avoid any future contamination.
Tucker frowned. “I don’t know about any off-world BOT virus work. I would suspect that’s beyond my clearance and probably even confidential, if true. Colonization and some of our unexpected wars require creative solutions and, excuse me for saying so, but BOT’s the best. Now, I want to focus on to our plan on getting into the base. Ace, you’re in charge of the tactical operations and I’m in charge of the overall mission. Earth Command’s tactical experts have sent their analysis on how we should enter. I’ll hand over to Hank Kumar. He knows the base and is an expert on alien technology. Listen to his presentation first and then ask your questions.”
Hank smiled and flipped on a TekPad holo presentation. A hundred-inch holo map popped up. Ace looked at it and saw the drop point. They would land high up on the east side, near a mountain called Roraima. Mount Roraima had some kind of entry hatch that would allow them to go through the mountain and into the back side of GEN-6. Small, rocky cliffs surrounded the path to the entry hatch.
Ace interrupted. “That path will restrict our movement, and that ain’t good.” He stood up and pointed. “Someone could ambush us here from the hills, and there’s only one way out. It’s a kill zone. I don’t like it.”
Tucker countered, “You were supposed to wait for the end of the presentation and then ask questions. If you did, you’d learn this isn’t supposed to be a war zone. The local inhabitants are just prehistoric nomads. Sticks and stones.”
“What intel do we have on the nomads in this sector?” asked Ace.
Hank spoke with a soft California accent. “Earth Command picked this area because it’s a valley sandwiched between the mountains. The nomads stay away from the mountains, and this area only has light movement. There’s little water or plant life in this area, so it’s kind of like a Nevada desert. It’s one of the reasons they put the back end of the base here through the mountain. They used this area for recreation. The other side of the mountain, the west side of the base, is a wilderness with thousands of nomads. That
’s where studies are going on, and that’s where the sick scientists are locked down. According to Mr. Tucker’s plans, your team will come in from the safety of the east side and proceed up to the holed-up and hopefully healthy scientists.”
“Do we have communication with the scientists?” asked Kiya.
Tucker frowned and scratched his head. “We did, but it appears that the sick ones cut that off a week ago. They went nuts and cut up a bunch of fiber lines. They seem to be disassembling everything.”
“Why don’t we fly scout to east end of GEN-6 dome … then blast our way in? Russian explosives do good things for big trouble.” Ivan smiled, showing a missing tooth.
“Doesn’t anyone understand English?” asked Tucker. “I asked you all to wait for the presentation to be finished before asking questions.”
Hank stared at Ivan’s cleanly shaved head and scarred face. Ivan opened his mouth and licked his lips, looking like a scraggy pit bull waiting for a biscuit. Ivan gave at Hank a curious Why can’t I blow things up? shrug. Hank looked back at the holo map and pointed. “We can’t fly a scout to blast anything because the sick scientists seem to have gotten hold of the defense systems. See here? There’s a laser cannon located on the east side of the base. Some of the scientists were trying to leave the base and the sick scientists used something to blow up the scout ship—or that’s what the SATCOM satellites around the planet reported.”
“I want to send in a reconnaissance drone out from the drop point to the mountain doors before we head out,” said Ace. “ I want to check for unknowns, maybe even set up a couple of DAVs before we proceed, just in case things get hairy.”
Tucker frowned. “We have a couple Zippy drones. You’ve been chosen for tactical, Ace, but I don’t see a need to go crazy. This is not a war zone, it’s a reconnaissance mission. I don’t want you to blow this out of proportion.”
Ace walked around the table, looking at the 3D holo map. He shook his head when he saw the laser cannon. “Yeah, I got it. It’s a reconnaissance mission with a bunch of fuckin’ crazies that shot down their only way home. They have a little ‘space sickness’ by some virus we know nothing about, so we brought in a class-Alpha starship with ten thousand Marines, just in case things don’t work out as planned—which, according to my experience, nothing ever does with Earth Command colonization. So if you don’t mind, sir, I’m gonna send out a Zippy or two, and I may even send in a few DAVs. If things look real bad, we’ll call in some of the Marines. Please excuse me if I try to make sure we all don’t get killed … sir.”
Some of the team smiled, especially Ivan, who was a close friend of Ace. Tucker was quiet for a few seconds. “Major Archer. I will not get in the way of your job—just don’t get in my way, either. The Joint Chiefs want only a limited expedition unless absolutely necessary. You’ll see those orders as part of this briefing. And I know you’ll ask why we’re doing it this way. As to why, I don’t know. I take Earth Command orders just like you do. Are your orders understood, Major Archer?”
“We’re on a Space Navy ship. And yes, my orders are crystal clear.”
Ace didn’t believe anything Tucker said, but he was at least getting the recon mission drones approved. And he’d secretly place some DAVs around the perimeter. He knew he could at least count on Ivan and Jimbo’s help. Both men had the same what the fuck is going on here look on their faces.
The briefing lasted another hour, and when all was done, Ace went to the private Big Gun Marine lunchroom. He discreetly asked Ivan, Jimbo, Janice, and Kiya to join him at a corner table. There was something about Tucker and Black Operations Technology that he needed to discuss with his team, and he wanted to do it privately. Something about this mission told him people were gonna die—lots of people.
When the pin is pulled, Mr. Grenade is not our friend.
— U.S. Marine Corps
4
_________
Big Guns
The Search and Rescue Team, minus Major Tucker and the scientist Kumar, made their way individually to the mess, got their food, and sat at a private table in the back of the lunchroom. Jimbo arrived last, going to the Chief’s Mess to pick up something special. The six-foot-five, muscular black man walked in with two trays of food. He smiled proudly, showing pearly whites as he sat down, slightly shaking the one table. He quietly chowed down on a plate of meat that was double the portion of anyone else’s at the table. Ace laughed, watching Jimbo chomp down on a supersized bird leg. A piece of meat broke and fell into some of his mashed potatoes. The meat looked like turkey, except a little greasy. Must be some gamey bird? It had strangely shaped wings and scales.
Ace stared at Jimbo’s food. “Waddaya eatin’, Sergeant? Did the Chief’s mess fuckin’ kill and feather a damn dinosaur?”
The team chuckled along.
Big Jimbo continued to eat and laughed, too. “Dinosaurs don’t have feathers, brother Ace, but it’s damn close. This here is called a ‘goldwing ducken’.” Jimbo picked up a double-winged chunk, inspecting it like a happy hunter. “It’s a bird that’s tastier than any game bird on Earth, and is found only on Planet Govena. These things are rare, taste great, and hide way up in the mountains. Hard to find or kill. Wanna bite?”
Ace laughed. “Sure, cut me a dino slice.”
Jimbo cut a slice of the meat and put it on Ace’s plate. Ace took a bite, savoring it like an expensive shot of whiskey. “That’s really good. Kinda like steak and lobster all in one. How’d you get this thing?”
“That’s the trick, Ace. Like I said, it’s almost impossible to find these goldwings, since they usually live up in mountains that rise from 2,500 to 4,000 meters. Shooting ’ems tough, too. Took my L667 and shot one at a distance of 3,221 meters on Govena. It’s a shot for the military and hunting records. Had the Hunt Drone pick it up, since it was so damn far away.”
“So how did the Chief’s mess get a hold of this goldwing?”
Jimbo smiled and continued. “Chief Johnson and I went hunting while on leave. Hard, hard shot for this record. He helped calculate the wind patterns with my Hunt Drone. You’re eating a record. For the shot, I had a light, uphill, five-knot wind and had to adjust for the gravity differential to boot, but I got it on my first shot. The Chief snuck it on board the Aurora and brought it to the mess and froze it. That is, until today, when they cooked it up. I promised the other half to the Chief as part of the deal. These things are a delicacy. Yum yum.”
“I can see why,” said Ace, finishing his piece of ducken and licking his chops. He wiped his face with a napkin.
“Good to see ya moy-droog, Ace man, or as you say in Brooklyn, my ‘paisano’,” said Ivan in his Russian accent. “Glad to hear you still crazy— I bet month’s credit on you against the mech Krill. Made lots of vodka money.” Ivan grinned, stretching the scar on the left side of his face that looked like a shrapnel wound.
“Good to see you, too, Ivan, but be careful on those bets—damn M10 screwed up my jaw.” Ace rubbed his face. “How’s Yogi doing? You still got him?” Ace liked Ivan, but most people thought the Russian was nuts. He had some quirks and ideas about good luck and bad luck that annoyed some people. Ace thought Ivan’s weapons and fighting ability outweighed any strangeness.
“Yogi’s good luck, you know that, Ace. He knows when to fight, what to cook, and who to cook. He’s here.” Ivan’s eyes widened, the whites glaring.
“Who the hell’s Yogi?” asked Jimbo, chewing on a wing.
“Some people think Yogi is a stuffed animal bear, but I think Ivan brought him to life,” said Ace.
“A stuffed animal?” inquired Jimbo. He stopped eating and looked at Ace for some kind of joke punch line. “You shittin’ me? You brought a stuffed bear on board?”
“He’s more,” said Ivan. “He knows things. He sees things. He’s my partner.”
Ace took his metal butter knife and tapped Ivan’s skull. It rang like a metal pipe. “Ivan saved some of my team on a Big Gun job, but got hit with a cluster bo
mb. A research base saved him and put a metal plate in his head. At a hospital rehab, some kid gave Ivan Yogi. It means a lot to him.”
Jimbo shook his head and went back to eating. Ivan’s rehab story reminded him of his own “rehab.” Fortunately, the body work done did not affect his appetite, but Ivan’s metal plate in the head did not sit well.
Janice looked at Ivan with concern. “Ivan, that’s horrible, what happened?”
Ivan smiled, showing his missing tooth. “Yeah, me and moy droog Ace man had planet cleanup work on Xivia for BOT friends. Big troubles. MJ-Alpha confidential job … until Ace speak it up with Major Tucker, no secret now.”
“Cleanup?” interrupted Kiya.
“Yeah,” said Ivan, chewing on his artificial meatburger. “We burn down half planet. Gamma colonization troubles … had issues … bad BOT virus.”
“A bad virus?”
“Da,” continued Ivan. “BOT put some shitsky virus together to wipe out bad animals. Shitsky big mistake.”
“Why’d they do that? Why a virus?” asked Kiya with eyes of interest.
Ace interrupted. “What they did was create a virus to attack some nasty T-Rex-type dinos that really didn’t like us colonizing.”
Ivan stuck a sharp knife into a roll and flicked it into the air, catching it with his mouth. He munched on the roll and then put it down on his plate. “Big troubles for me and the Ace man,” continued Ivan, chewing. “Big animals, big! T-rex kill first camp people. Guns piss ’em off, so the brainskys at BOT sold Earth Command dino-virus … kill only the dinos … but big problems, too … it change and kill everything.”
“It mutated,” said Ace. “It first killed the local birds and then continued on to kill the native fish. Before long, it infected the colonists. Had over five thousand infected colonists … no cure found, so the Joint Chiefs called up a few teams. One was explosives, headed up by Ivan. The other was the Big Guns, run by Brad King, to fight some of the dinos that got into the camp we were wiring up. Met Ivan during that mission. If it wasn’t for those guys, we’d a never gotten out of there alive.” Ivan gave Ace a fist tap.