“King sighted, Control. Moving to the rear of the building. Get me intel.”
“We’re moving around for scan of the structure now Knight,” came Control’s reply. Above a helicopter flew silently, scanning the compound. Jude climbed up past the altar towards the doors towards the back of the building as all sounds of gunfire ceased. There were a few moans, weak and frightened, but they would soon each by silenced by single gunshots. Jude listened to his footsteps echo on the dais of the altar.
“Area secure!” Rook Three declared. Rooks One and Four circulated, delivering headshots to wounded survivors. Jude approached the open doorway into the sacristy.
“Knight you have one to the right of the door on the other side of that wall,” Control called. Jude said nothing, simply tracked his rifle to the right of the doorway. He fired twice and watched as a corpse fell across the threshold.
“Removed,” Jude said.
“You’re clear into the next room.”
“Roger that,” Jude moved through, finding a deserted antechamber. A large locked steel cabinet dominated the back wall of the room and stood guard to the left of an open doorway, leading down a hall.
“What do I have here, Control?” Jude asked into his mic.
“That passage leads to the office area,” Control said, “The only other exit leads to Ashe’s private suite. The hall and offices are clear but thermals show six people in the suite. No movement on the perimeter. He’s still in the building.”
“All Pieces’ status?” Jude called.
“Rook Four guarding flank,” Rook One replied, “Rooks One and Three en route to the residence building. Do the orders stand?”
“Confirmed Rook One,” Jude said, “Take out armed resistance only. All other targets are live capture.”
“Roger that.” Rook One came back. Jude continued into the back of the church, towards Ashe’s residence.
He dropped two more of Ashe’s fanatical followers as he crossed into the first floor of the residence. One of the pair had actually managed to get a shot off at Jude before being killed. The shot went wide, but it was still startling.
“Jesus Christ!” Jude pressed a hand reflexively against his earpiece at his subordinate’s exclamation.
“What is it, Rook Three?”
“They’re all dead!”
“Who?”
“The cultists,” Rook Three came back, “They’re all dead; every last fucking one of them!”
“How?”
“It looks like poison,” Rook One replied over the commlink, “There are a few who seem to have been strangled, one or two were shot, but there’s no one left alive in here.”
“Close the hunt then,” Jude ordered, “Call in the local paramedics to evacuate the bodies; tell them we have people in pursuit of Ashe and the last of his followers.”
“Confirmed Knight,” Rook One said. Jude continued through Ashe’s suite, heading now up the stairs to the second level.
“Knight: one on the landing around the corner to your left,” Control warned. Jude froze. A few more steps and he’d be in range of their weapon before he could get a bead on this threatened ambush. Turning around he loaded a small grenade into his weapon’s launcher and backed up the staircase, aiming for the landing above. He fired and tuck-rolled back down the stairs as the explosion concussed. Shrapnel and debris scattered across the stairs and the smell of smoke and torn flesh was strong. Jude raced to the landing. The walls and carpet in the blast zone of his grenade were wrecked; charred and smouldering. His would-be attacker was now sprawled where she had been thrown by the blast: down the hallway leading to the upper rooms of the suite, still alive but dying, her weapon dropped in the blast, the right side of her body a torn and bloodied ruin. She looked at him hatefully as he put two shots in her head. Three cultists left, one of them Ashe.
“Knight, we have egress out the back!” Control called, “Three down the hall to the right.” Jude charged in that direction, weapon to bear. He watched as the last of Ashe’s followers dropped out the window. Jude fired, uselessly. He reached the window and was shocked to see that they’d dropped down an aluminum chute underground. He dropped another grenade down the chute and took cover. The explosion belched a rush of air and smoke.
“Control, they had a rabbit hole! Do a ground sweep; I think they’re heading to the sewers.”
“Roger that, Knight,” Control replied. Jude contemplated dropping down the chute and thought better of it. If he’d nailed anyone down there, they were dead. If not, there was no telling what the inside of that chute looked like. It could be blown to Christ from the grenade, or worse, it could be booby-trapped and waiting for him.
“Son of a bitch,” he swore and then issued the command for his troops to gather at the back of the building, to start the hunt for Ashe as he himself made his way down and out.
“Knight we have them,” Control announced as Jude reached the back stairs outside. Jude turned to Rooks One, Three and Four. All of them wore the same expression: that of a hunter who has found fresh tracks leading to their prey.
“Location?”
“Two kilometres southwest of you,” Control replied as Jude and his personnel made for their transport, “They seem to be heading for the South Gate.”
“They’re heading for the Ship,” Jude growled. He and his troops climbed aboard the Ranger parked behind the Church and sped off.
“They’re going the wrong way Knight,” Control advised.
“Not if they’re making for the Salado Gulch,” Jude countered, “Which is exactly where that son of a bitch is heading.”
“Take the Rio Salado riverbed to the drop-off and try and climb seven kilometres straight down?” Rook One asked, “Colonel, that would take the better part of the day.”
“I don’t think he cares,” Jude said, “But either way Ashe won’t reach the drop-off.”
They sped down the streets of the Village even now still mostly deserted after the madness of the previous night. Soon they could see the helicopter in the sky ahead, on the trail of Gabriel Ashe and his two remaining followers.
“We have them Knight,” Control called, “Target in check.”
“Arm mag pulse and fire,” Jude said. But then over his headset, sounds of alarm and panic could be heard:
“Jesus Christ! Pull up! Pull up!”
“Fuck! Fuck!” and then an electronic wailing noise. There was a burst of static, a thundering sound and then more sounds of electronic distress before Rook Two came on the link.
“Knight, we’ve been hit; we’ve been hit! RPG fire; we’re going down!”
“What is the target’s position?” Jude asked with alarm, “Are they attainable?” But all he heard in reply was shouting and panic. There was a violent noise and then a moment’s silence, where static was dominant.
“Rook Five to Knight,” Came the signal a few moments later, “We’re down. Target en route for the riverbed. They’re you’re kill now Sir. It’s out of our hands.”
“Understood Rook Five,” Jude said. “Knight out.” Jude turned to Rook One, who nodded grimly. He pressed the accelerator to the floor and the Ranger shot from the confines of the Village into the open desert beyond. They were going after the son of a bitch and they had no intention of failing. Jude had no desire to ever return to this patch of desert and the failure it represented. Even a record of black ops and other sundry deleteds could carry bad marks and his failure to suppress the Type Seven Alpha that had become known worldwide as the Ship was doubtlessly the worst on his record. Killing Gabriel Ashe would by no means expunge that blight, but it would go a long way towards soothing Jude’s pride and redeeming him in the eyes of his superiors, those who controlled not only his missions but his expendability. Jude didn’t want or need to be red-shirted on his next op.
They were nearing the riverbed. Ashe would be somewhere ahead of them; not yet in the dry gulch, but closer to it than Jude. Nevertheless, the advantage would be Jude’s. When Ashe finally des
cended into the riverbed Jude would be there waiting. He only wished he had the advantage of airborne support, but that was no longer an option. They’d nail Ashe, that was certain. Jude had no interest in letting him get near to the Ship.
“There they are,” Rook One said.
“We have visual contact with the target Control,” Jude reported, “Moving in to engage the enemy now.”
The Ranger sped forward, closing the gap between the two vehicles. Ashe seemed to be riding in the back of the vehicle with his two followers driving and riding shotgun. The driver looked into his rearview and saw Jude’s Ranger approaching fast. The shotgun passenger turned to look. Ashe remained seated facing forward.
“No weapons visible,” Jude said, “Let’s take them out.” Jude and Rooks Three and Four made ready their weapons, the latter two opening the rear canopy to stand up with their rifles trained on the vehicle ahead. Jude leaned out his side window as the two vehicles drew to less than one car length of each other. Jude and Rooks Three and Four opened fire. The passengers in the open-top vehicle before them flailed under the assault, all three fatally shot within seconds. As the vehicle lost control, swerving left and right, Rook One backed the Ranger off a little. When the car turned wide enough Jude fired, taking out the front tires. The transport overturned and started into its death roll. Rook One brought the Ranger to a full stop and there Jude and his men waited until the target vehicle had come to rest. Both passengers and the driver had been thrown clear of the car as it crashed. All three of them would most certainly have been killed during the rollover if their bodies hadn’t already been riddled with bullets. Jude stood surveying the scene as his troops checked the bodies. Each was overturned so that they could get a look at their faces.
“He’s not here.”
“What?” Jude demanded, striding angrily over to Rook Four.
“Colonel, Ashe isn’t here!” Jude looked at the corpses. Two of them were obviously Ashe’s apostles, but the third had been gagged and his hands and feet had been taped together. The accident had torn the tape loose, but there was no doubt that the third body was that of a hostage.
“Son of a bitch!” Jude roared. He turned, marching back to the Ranger.
“Control,” he called into his mic, “We lost the King. They used a fucking decoy! He was not in the transport. Repeat: King was not in the transport. Gabriel Ashe is loose.”
They rendezvoused back at the crash-landed helicopter. By then an ESU had been dispatched. None of Jude’s personnel were injured, so the rescue team was ordered out.
“What do we do now?” Control asked, “The parameters of the mission have been completely scrapped.”
“We proceed with the mission’s final objective.” Jude said, “The extermination of Gabriel Ashe. He’s going to the Ship. To get him we have to get there too and we have to do so according to directives: Zero involvement of on-site military personnel.”
“That scenario’s no longer valid,” Control said, “The only way to get inside the Ship ahead of Ashe is via the Ramp. That means going through Fort Arapaho.”
“Then we don’t take the Ramp.” Jude said.
“There’s no way to get a vehicle down there without being noticed by the locals,” Rook One supplied. “I don’t know how you propose we get there.”
“Only one person’s going to go: me.” Jude replied, “And I’ll go from the far end of the Ship from Arapaho and the Ramp by paraglider.”
“Shit Knight,” Rook One said. “The amount of time it’ll take us to circle round to the far side of the Ship and the time it’ll take you to climb up to the Pyramid, the target stands a good chance of getting there ahead of you.”
“So it won’t be an ambush,” Jude countered. “It’ll be a hunt and a short one. There’s only a handful of chambers and accesses open down there. He won’t have much place to hide.”
“We’ll be out of communications range once you’re inside,” Control advised, “That means no tactical support and no standby evac.”
“Then we’ll have to supply me with as much hardware as possible,” Jude said, “Because I’m going after that bastard.”
♦♦♦
Gabriel Ashe limped as He made His way across the surface of the Ship towards the Pyramid, the entrance to the Chariot of His Ascension. He had fallen to the Ship’s surface during the last few meters of His climb. It had been dark by then and He hadn’t been able to see properly. He didn’t know if His ankle was broken or simply sprained, though he knew his arm was; the jarring impact had shattered his elbow and he’d had to tuck his hand inside his jacket pocket to immobilize it. None of it would matter once He reached the entrance to the Ship. Wounded, limping, his body wracked with pain, Gabriel Ashe made his determined way up the slope of the Ship, towards the Pyramid. The Shipsong was almost deafening at this level and He could see that the crevices that bisected the Ship were wider than He’d anticipated. It would be challenging territory even for one as Divine as Himself. Most of the way to the Pyramid was uphill and most of that a fairly steep and difficult climb, especially when the only real illumination was the blue bands of energy that lined the floors of the crevasses on the Ship’s surface.
His ankle wasn’t hurting as badly as it had following His fall. That was good. He had much territory to cover before He was safe. And if He was being pursued, which He knew He was, He had to cover that territory most quickly. Ashe knew He was being hunted; He had seen His hunter that morning in the Church. Gabriel Ashe had no doubt that the man had been sent by His Father’s enemies.
Ashe took a moment here at the top of His climb, to rest and to pray. He did so as He had always done since He had been a teen and first discovered His father waiting for him beyond the veil of His first acid trip. Ashe took the last dose of Holy Communion that He had; swallowing the pills dry, feeling the discomfort of having them stick and dissolve in His throat. Then He dropped to His Knees and spread His arms out to either side of His body. His elbow exploded in long sinews of pain as he pulled His arm from His jacket pocket. The night air was chilling rapidly as the full moon crested the sky. Despite being drenched with sweat and wearing only a light jacket and pants, Ashe did not feel the cold. His Communion was already strengthening Him against such mortal, physical concerns. His elbow faded to a dull throb, pulsing an invisible light out in cascading rings.
“Dear Father, I thank You for guiding Me safely here, to the gates of Your Father’s Chariot,” He prayed, “I thank You for the love of My Disciples, who became a Sacrifice Unto You so that I might live and reign with You and the Lord.” He was silent here, thinking about the followers who had Sacrificed themselves in His name not just here in the Village but around the world; attacking the heathens who did not know His Father’s Law and those who would bow down to the false God of the Ship instead of seeing it for what it truly was: a vehicle, His vehicle to the very Gates of Heaven. He thought of His last two Disciples; His two favoured Apostles who had lain down their lives at the last to protect Him from the Soldiers of His Father’s Enemy. They died of their love of Him as His Father had died of His love for Mankind. But now, His purpose here was fulfilled. He had proven His worth, for He had been delivered here and was free of His enemies at long last. His favoured Apostles would rule with Him in the Kingdom of Heaven, where even now they waited to greet Him when He arrived. He rose to His feet and began the walk around to the far side of the Pyramid, to the entrance into the Chariot of God and His Destiny.
Gabriel Ashe stepped through the entrance to the Ship, into the dark confines of the Pyramid. He paused before the dais and waited. All was exactly as it had been revealed to Him by the Angel of the Lord. The ring of the dais began glowing softly, lending light to the interior of the Pyramid. He watched as the floor of the elevated plain began to undulate and iris open. All was as it had been promised. Soon the crystal egg rose from the gaping hole. The crystal egg split and Ashe stepped aboard. He turned to face the doorway He had crossed from, leaving the Mortal world be
hind for the Heavenly. There in the doorway He saw the face of His Enemy. The solider was bringing his weapon to bear as the crystal egg resealed itself. The soldier fired and a spider web of cracks appeared across the surface of the lift car. Then as the lift dropped down into the Ship itself Ashe watched with no small wonder as the cracks healed themselves until the egg was once more as unmarred and pristine as the Virgin who had begotten His Father.
♦♦♦
Jude raced in after the departing lift but too late, the dais had resealed itself. He would have to wait and hope that there was no trick to the lift and no way to disengage it from within. His prey knew that he was being hunted. That lessened the disadvantage Ashe faced, but Jude was overwhelmingly armed, armoured and prepared for this little expedition whereas Ashe had entered the Ship with nothing more than the clothes on his back and the shoes on his feet. Jude was fed and rested and had a good supply of food and water. He seriously doubted Ashe had the same. This would be a cake-walk, a single-shot death; the hallways of the Ship would be the killing ground, the anticlimactic last act of a drama that had started so violently the night before.
The Unearthing Page 28