He reached for the pistol in his pocket, checking the clip. His first instinct was to get on his phone, start to warn everyone, but the odds were high that someone else would be listening in, and he was after far bigger game. There was a good chance that he could get everyone to safety without too much trouble, but their would-be captors – or murderers – would still be out there, waiting, and he wanted a chance to end that threat, perhaps find out just who was out to bring their mission to an abrupt end.
The terrain between him and the truck was good, nice and rugged, lots of low slopes. It seemed to be making for the arroyo, and he raced towards it, pistol in hand, trying to keep low to avoid detection. Above him, the drone was still orbiting, and by know, the operator had to have spotted him, had to have warned his comrades in the truck of his approach. He looked into the distance, and saw another figure heading from further north, one of his crew who perhaps had the same idea as he.
Then, abruptly, the engine stopped, as the truck slid down into the arroyo. The enemy would be approaching on foot, which suited him perfectly. He raced forward, dodging between boulders, more concerned with remaining in cover from any incoming fire than escaping detection at this point. Finally, he reached the edge, and looked down to see five figures slowly advancing, hunting rifles in hand, wearing desert camouflage. No military equipment that he could see. If caught, they might have some semi-plausible deniability. He intended that it wouldn’t get that far.
“That’s as far as you go,” he yelled. “We’ve got you covered.”
His answer was a pair of well-aimed shots, hammering into the rocks before him. He ducked to the ground, sprawled on his chest, and slowly inched forward while remaining in cover. Another shot echoed from further down the canyon, close enough that he could feel the force of the air rushing past him, and he started to move away, trying to evade his hitherto unseen assailant.
Risking a quick glance, he saw the group splitting into two, a pair of them moving to pin him down while the others made their way towards him, ready to climb up the side of the rock where he would be unable to shoot them without exposing himself to attack. Somehow, his improvised plan seemed to be going wrong, but he fired another shot at the pair at the bottom of the canyon, barely even forcing them to flinch. He looked around, trying to find something he could use, some advantage to save the day, but all he saw was bare rock and empty desert.
Then, suddenly, the tactical picture changed, a pair of well-aimed shots hammering into the side of the arroyo, one of them yielding an anguished scream followed by a dull thud, one of his assailants falling to the desert floor. Knox took that as his cue to attack, rising briefly out of cover to fire two more shots at the pair of enemy agents below, catching one in the shoulder and sending the other one diving to avoid the bullet. In the distance, he heard another noise, this time a helicopter racing towards them, a quick glance at the livery confirming that it was a Space Force plane, moving in to provide desperately-needed close support.
“That’s enough!” Knox yelled. “Throw down your weapons and nobody gets hurt!” There was a brief delay, but another bullet from a third direction broke the silence with another scream, and this time the remaining unwounded agents tossed their weapons away, placing their hands into the air and stepping out of cover, Knox keeping his pistol trained on them the whole time. From the other side of the arroyo, he saw an arm waving, and his face broke into a smile as he realized it was Cruz, rifle in hand. Antonova walked down from the direction of the last bullet, grim-faced, keeping their prisoners under cover as the helicopter settled to the ground beside Knox.
“We’ll take it from here, Colonel,” Baker said, scrambling underneath the still-rotating blades. “Nice work.”
“Would have been even better if you’d given me some warning, General,” Knox said. He looked down at the base of the arroyo, three wounded men lying on the ground, writhing in agony, the other two still standing with their hands raised, staring implacably into the middle-distance. “You think you’ll get them to talk?”
“I’m sure someone will find a way to get them to co-operate,” he replied. Maxwell raced towards them, holding a piece of paper in hand, red-faced and panting, looking up with surprise at Baker’s presence.
“This was all a set-up?” the engineer asked. “We were the bait?”
“I’m afraid that’s about the size of it, Doctor,” Baker replied. “Though if it makes you feel any better, you did an absolutely splendid job of drawing our friends down there towards you.” He looked at one of the wounded men, grimaced, then said, “Well, if it isn’t Corporal Carter.” Turning to Knox, he added, “One of our security guards. Former USAF, according to his paperwork, but I wonder just how well that will stand up to enhanced scrutiny. I think we’ve found the man who led you out here.”
“What about the drone?” Knox asked.
“Oh, yes,” Baker said, reaching for his phone and tapping a control. There was a loud report, then the roar of a rocket racing into the sky, followed by a quick explosion as debris rained down onto the desert sand. “That’s another loose end tied up. We’d never have been able to extract anything useful from it, but this way we’re sending a little message that we’re armed and ready for action. I think our friends down there have already learned it, but it won’t do any harm to reinforce that idea a little.”
“General,” Maxwell said, thrusting the documents forward, “I found these in the truck.”
“Rental documents,” Baker replied, rifling through the paperwork. “We’ll trace that.” He paused, looked at Maxwell, then asked, “Were there any tracks, Doctor?”
“Sure. There hasn’t been any rain around here for a while.” Before Baker could reply, the engineer held up his phone, and said, “I figured you’d ask, General, so I took a look at the map. There are three abandoned farms in that direction, all of them in good enough condition that someone could camp out there for a night without being seen. Nearest’s about ten miles away. That probably just about matches where those bastards came from.”
“Fancy a quick ride in a helicopter, Colonel?” Baker asked.
“Anytime, anywhere,” he replied.
“I’ll get my stuff,” Maxwell began, but Baker cut him off, shaking his head.
“You’re going back to the base with Major Cruz, Doctor, along with the rest of the crew and a couple of guards. I want to keep the risk to a minimum here. I’m only taking Tom with me because I haven’t got time for an argument.” Cracking a smile, he added, “Look on the bright side. You get to sleep in a bed tonight. We’ll get back to your field trip in the morning, but this time you’ll have a dozen armed men watching your back.”
“Any chance I can talk you around, sir?” Maxwell asked.
“Not a hope in hell, Doctor,” Knox replied, a smile on his face. “I’ll see you back at the barn.” As the engineer walked sullenly away, Knox turned to Baker, and asked, “Major Cruz?”
“She did fifteen years in the Marines before being discharged. Medical. She’s still one of the best shots I know. Keeps winning California competitions, was an Olympic alternate a few years back, and we’ve got more important things to do than talk about this.” He paused, grinned, then added, “You didn’t think I’d send you out there without someone to look after you, right?”
“I guess not, sir,” Knox said, as the two men climbed into the helicopter. Baker flashed a quick thumbs’ up at the pilot, and as the two of them strapped in, the helicopter rose from the ground, sending dust flying in all directions as they ascended. He looked out across the desert, at the scene of the battle, the wounded men being cared for by the medics, and shook his head.
“Something wrong, Colonel?” Baker asked.
“Just that they’re getting pretty damned brazen, sir. Trying something like this so close to the base.”
“Means they’re getting desperate, son. That’s fine by me.” He looked out at the horizon, then said, “Game face on, Colonel. We could be back in a firefight any
time now. Bet this beats simulator training, huh?”
“Sure, boss. I just hope I’m not going to need small-arms practice for the actual mission. Spacesuits and guns don’t mix.”
Chapter 14
The helicopter raced over the desert, the second of the farms below, flying low enough for them to easily spot any sign of recent activity. The trail of the truck continued on, leaving no doubt about its origin, the third farm, barely visible on the horizon ahead. Long ago, according to the records, it had been a dude ranch, but had been struggling long before CosmoTech had bought the old launching ground at Dry Wells, the owners eager to sell as soon as they had the opportunity.
“That’s it,” Baker said, peering through his binoculars. “There’s another truck, looks pretty new, probably how they intended to get clear once this was over with.” Shaking his head, he added, “They must have known they’d get caught. This is all just a little too easy.”
“Pilot,” Knox asked, “you got any drones on board?”
“Sure, sir,” she replied, “but I don’t think they’ll see anything that we miss.”
“That’s not what I’ve got in mind. Launch it, and have it slowly descend towards the farm, making as much noise as possible. I have a hunch I know what will happen when it reaches the ground.”
The drone dropped free, the pilot quickly programming it to follow Knox’s directions, then pulling the helicopter up, gaining ground, letting the robot take the danger for them. Knox tracked it as it fell towards the buildings, almost too small to see in the gathering darkness. As it dropped into the courtyard, there was a loud roar, a raging explosion that engulfed the ranch, three charges erupting at once that sent columns of smoke rising into the sky, the helicopter rocking back and forth in the unexpected thermals.
“Get us down, at a safe distance,” Baker ordered, and the pilot hastened to comply, bringing the helicopter down behind a battered fence, a quarter mile from the raging inferno beyond. Baker glanced at Knox, then turned back to the pilot, and said, “Call Dry Wells, have then send a team out here to look. There’s nothing much around here to burn, so I’m not worried about it spreading, but tell them I want a full check for any contaminants.”
“Will do, sir,” she replied, as Baker stepped out of the helicopter, followed by Knox.
“You don’t really expect to find anything, do you?” Knox asked.
“Not a damned thing, Tom, but there’s no harm taking a look. My gut says the people we captured didn’t know anything about this. If they got back with prisoners, they get wiped off the map, and the same happens to anyone who ends up following them home. I should have thought of it myself. I guess I must be slipping.” Wiping his forehead, he said, “That simulator malfunction was deliberate. Someone did a clumsy hack. We’ve just about got it set right.”
“Good. Geology’s going to have to wait. We’re going to need the simulators.” He turned to Baker, and added, “Someone took a shot at me, Curt. Not one of those bastards on the ground, someone else. I’m assuming it couldn’t have been any of your people…”
Shaking his head, he replied, “The only one we had out here was Cruz. I wanted to keep it as light as possible, try and draw them out. I guess it must have worked.” His eyes widened, and he said, “Just what are you implying? I mean, I think I get it, but I want to hear the actual words.”
“We’ve got a traitor on the crew. That’s the only explanation that makes sense.”
Baker whistled, then added, “That’s quite a leap, Tom.”
“Maybe, but I can’t get past that someone shot at me, and aimed to kill. Blind luck that they missed. About the only person it couldn’t have been was Cruz. And I don’t buy that anyone could have made a mistake. I don’t anything like any of the people we captured, and I was wearing completely different clothes. Murphy, Maxwell and Antonova are all seasoned veterans. They’ve all seen action, one way or another. None of them is going to panic under any circumstances I can think of.” He paused, then added, “This probably explains that incident in the pool, as well. That makes a lot more sense if you assume one of the crew was responsible.”
“I still say that it’s quite a reach, Tom, but I suppose I understand your reasoning. Just what do you want to do, exactly?”
“Switch crews. That’s the safest possible answer. I’ve been thinking about this. We can probably filch Siegel and Imoto from NASA. They’ve been training for the mission anyway, both of them have the right sort of skill set, and while it pains me to give the Randy Bishop any satisfaction, it would probably smooth things over with Houston as well. You must have a backup pilot for the original Gateway mission…
“I do.”
“Then that completes the roster. I don’t like starting from scratch, Curt, I don’t like it at all, but I can’t really see another option based on everything that’s happened.” He paused, then asked, “Tell me I’m wrong.”
“I only wish I could.”
“We’re on a tight enough schedule already, but training programs aren’t supposed to be quite this dangerous. Twice now, someone’s tried to kill me. Never mind me, the mission could survive my death, but the risk of exposure and the investigation Franklin would force on us would end our party in a hurry.”
“Hey, don’t worry, I get it,” Baker said, shaking his head. “I don’t like it, but I get it. I’m just trying to get my head around the logistics involved.” He paused, looked at the horizon, and asked, “Were you expecting anyone?”
“No. Why?”
“We’ve got company coming.” He turned to the helicopter, the pilot already emerging through the hatch.
“Signal from Dry Wells, sir. Someone’s coming out to meet us. Space Force helicopter.”
Shaking his head, Knox said, “Sandy. She moved damned quick.”
“You’re not kidding. I thought she was going to settle down at Vandenberg until this is over. We start getting senior brass flying around here, some journalist is going to put two and two together and make five.” Grimacing, he turned to the pilot, and said, “Take off and head back to base. If we don’t show up in two hours, send someone back to get us. And tell Castillo that I want an updated report on the simulators as soon as I get back.”
“Sir, I don’t like leaving you on your own in the desert…,” the pilot began.
“You don’t have to like it. That’s an order. Get back to the barn.” He stepped away from the helicopter as the pilot climbed back into the cockpit, the blades spinning faster and faster as it rose from the ground once more, turning back towards the distant base, leaving Knox and Baker alone in the desert with the black Space Force helicopter speeding in their direction.
With a wry grin, Knox said, “I suppose it’s possible that our friends back at the arroyo had someone working with them. I could probably mock up Space Force livery well enough to fool someone from a distance.”
Glancing nervously at him, Baker said, “You really need to see someone about that paranoia of yours.”
“It’s not paranoia when they really are all out to get you.”
“Good point.”
The Space Force helicopter settled on the ground, the door opening for just long enough to allow General Cooper to climb out and wave off the pilot, who rapidly rose once more, guiding her helicopter vaguely in the direction of Dry Wells leaving the three of them alone by the burning buildings.
Looking at the devastation, Cooper said, “We’ve got good navigation software, guys. There wasn’t any need to send up smoke signals to bring us in.” Turning to the two of them, she added, “I hear you got into some trouble.”
“That’s putting it mildly,” Baker replied. “Tom and I have just about come to the conclusion that we can’t carry on with the crew we’ve got. There’s every possibility that one of them is a traitor. There’s no way we can launch a mission knowing one of the people on board is working against us. If we can…”
With a deep breath, Cooper interrupted, “I really hope that you aren’t goin
g to insist on that, Curt.”
“What’s happened, General?” Knox asked.
Shaking her head, she said, “EuroFed aren’t the only ones with spies. An undercover agent working down in Kourou has learned of two unmanifested flights to Earth orbit. One of them a supply shot, the other a crew transfer, scheduled for six and ten days from now. You know what that means. Hyperion Two is going to launch, way ahead of our estimated schedule. There’s a window for departure in seventeen days. My guess is they’re going to make use of it. And that means they get there first.”
“Christ,” Baker said. “After everything we’ve gone through to get this far…”
“It’s not over yet, General,” Cooper said. “The next window is in four days. You’ve already started to stack the rocket for the launch. How long to get it fueled and ready to go?”
Baker paused, and Knox pressed, “Well, General? I think we both know what she’s asking.”
“Yeah, yeah, but I just don’t know…” He paused, then said, “Mechanically, we can probably do it. The supply module’s damn near ready to go, down at the Cape. We were planning on putting it up in a week away, give ourselves plenty of time for a replacement if necessary.” Turning to Cooper, he added, “You realize that we’re going to be adding significantly to the risk factor, I hope.”
“I don’t think we can realistically avoid that at this stage, Curt. This isn’t a question of a postponement. We either go now, or the whole mission is scrubbed. We’ve got to get there first, or everything falls apart. I’m willing to take the risk.” He paused, then added, “The systems are safe enough. I’d say the only increased chance is that we’re forced into an abort.”
Frowning, Knox turned to Cooper, and asked, “When did you find out about these launches?”
“This morning. It took us a few hours to verify the information.” She looked at the two of them, and said, “I wasn’t going to play this card, but I have a direct order from the President, stating quite clearly that if at all feasible, Icarus One launches in the next window of opportunity. Which is in a little over ninety-eight hours from now.
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