by Dennis Young
“I figured it was something along those lines. Abie will take Bird One to fifty kilometers and hold. You just give the word.”
“I need a boost. Hit me.”
“Talice, it’s powerful stuff. You want to wait until your meds start flowing?”
“No, because I’m getting something set up. I need energy. You still have that grenade drone in the air?”
“I settled it to conserve power, but it’s around, yes.”
“Okay, give me about an hour. I’ll call back when I’m ready. Then Jance gets her ultimatum on the Clear channel.”
She paused, then pressed the send meds button on her vambrace. “Hit me.” The sting in her neck was brief, and she shook with the dosage.
Mac’s voice returned. “We’ll all be listening. Talice, be careful. You’ve still got a sniper out there.”
“Hua, Sergeant. I’ll get those eyes in the back of my head working overtime.”
* * *
Talice made her way back to the body dangling from the tree. She tossed a monofilament line over the branch, and began to cut it down. She let up when she heard the branch crack, and watched it slowly fall away. The body stayed in place, buoyed by the lift belt, obviously still operating.
She dug out her lifeline, pitched it upward, toward the body, finally snagged a boot, and dragged it down. It took every bit of strength she had to counteract the lift belt. She got it within arm’s-length, then realized if she grabbed the boot, the belt might just lift her and the body back into the tree. Or higher. Yeah, I’d make a great target, floating about half a kilometer above the forest. Jance would love that. Make for good vid.
She held on for a moment, then wrapped her lifeline around the tree trunk, and dragged the body down by its boots. The controls were on the left forearm, and she notice one of her rounds had barely missed. Damn lucky, or I’d be doing something a lot stupider than this to get Jance out here.
She hit the OFF switch and let the body drop. She sagged to her knees, sweating inside her armor and helmet. She drank from the S-H tube. Even with the fresh patch and boost, she was trembling with exertion.
She unfastened the control vambrace and set it aside, then dragged the body as far as she could before collapsing. She knew when night came, predators would follow the smell of blood, and she was in no condition to fight off a pack of wild… anything.
Not even raccoons. Or rabbits. She chuckled.
“Talice, talk to me.” Mac.
“Working, Mac. Gotta get this done before twilight. Tell Abie to stand by with Bird One. We’re gonna give Jance the biggest headache she’s ever had if she doesn’t come out to play. And confirm on your grenade drone.”
“Drone still in SAFE mode, I’ll get it up and running when you need it.” She paused. “Jamal has Jian in the infirmary. He’s going to be fine. Good work with your field medic training.”
“Give credit to Tooley, too. He was the first to reach him.”
Talice doffed her helmet and pulled out the detachable headset. She slipped it on, and drew in deep lungsful of forest air. She rested a bit, then began to remove her HCS. “Now we find out if I’m really clever or really dumb.”
“What are you doing? Talice, the whole crew is in TacOps. Briggs wants to come out and drag you back to the ship for the night. Niky says he’s confirmed at least a dozen in the cave.”
“Good for Niky. That tells me exactly what I want to know. Obviously, they’ve seen us retreat, all but me. And Jance gave orders no one gets to kill me except her. Honestly, Mac, I can’t figure out what she’s waiting for. And that scares the hell out of me.”
Talice removed the backpack with her S-H tank from the suit and the BOOST pouch of meds. She began trimming tree branches with her bayonet. She stuck them into the arms and legs of her HCS, tied them all together with her lifeline, and hoisted the whole thing back into the tree with the lift belt controls. She’d tied her pulse rifle to the arms, too, leaving her Bělinka’s carbine, her bayonet, and her side arm. Then tied the end of the lifeline on a broken branch of the tree trunk.
She sat, panting, and drank heavily from her S-H tube. Stuffed the BOOST patch in her pocket. Ate a protein bar. Laid her head back against the tree trunk, thinking of Mom and Dad at the property lake, and the trees they’d sat beneath together. Breathed a sigh of remembrance. Dad, I’m doing this only because you gave your blessing. And I love you for it. Thank you for being such a light to me.
“Talice.” Mac again.
“Here. Just resting. Okay, I’m going to call out Jance. I’m going to use the Clear channel like before, but I want you to patch everything into the net system. Niky, can you do that?”
“Of course, Captain. We are already talking to them with reports.”
“Oh really? I hope you’ve kept it clean.”
“Oh, no. We are Marines, yes? Therefore, the language is as we speak. Briggs and Rory have been very colorful.”
Talice heard laughter on her headset. “Okay, Mac. I’m ready. Launch the drone. Abie, you online?”
“Right here, Captain.”
“I’m thinking we’ll need a little demonstration. Aim carefully. I don’t want to kill Jance this way if I don’t have to.”
“Copy that.”
Talice clicked to the Clear channel. “Hey, Jance, were the hell are you? I thought you wanted a piece of me, right? This was supposed to be you and me, wasn’t it? Now you got your flunkies killed. Wonder what the rest are thinking? And the network is calling you a sissy. Your move.”
She clicked back to All-Channel. “Niky, did that go to the network?”
“Loud and clear, Captain. They are buzzing.”
Her headset dinged, and she switched to Clear. “I told you I’d come for you when I’m damn good and ready. Maybe tomorrow morning. Enjoy your night in the forest.”
Talice snickered, making sure her mic was on. “Doesn’t work that way. You see, if I leave, I’m gone. Done. No creditmarks for you, sorry. You’re a fucking pussy, Jance. And now the whole world is gonna know it. Remember, this was your idea.”
Silence on the line for a long moment. She thinks I’m bluffing. Well, we can change her mind about that pretty quickly.
She hit the intercom again. “Maybe you need a little prodding. You see, we know where your hidey-hole is. We’ve got you cornered. And just to prove it, I’ll give you a bit of a demonstration.”
Talice clicked back to All-Channel. “Mac, drop a couple of grenades outside the entrance.”
“Hua, five second fuses. Stand by. Dropped.”
Muffled explosions sounded on the wind seconds later.
Jance laughed into Talice’s ears. “You think that’s got me worried? Fuck you, Talice. Do your worst.”
Talice pressed the Clear button again. “With pleasure. Hold onto your butts.”
Back to All-Channel. “Abie, go! Approach from the west and give the entrance about a three-second burst of the Hellbores.”
“Oh, that should rattle their cages good. Lifting now.”
Seconds later, Bird One roared overhead. All Talice heard from the attack was a rumble like distant thunder.
Jance screamed into the headset. “Damn you! You can’t use artillery or major weapons!”
“Then get your butt out here, Jance. If you don’t come out, we’ll blow the fuck out of your little hideaway and leave you all buried. I don’t give a fuck about the money, and you’ll get nothing! You thought you could goad me into facing you. Well, here I am. Come at me, bitch!”
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
The Dreams in Which I’m Dying
(Part Three)
We Could Be Heroes
“Though an army encamp against me, my heart shall not fear;
though war rise up against me, yet I will be confident.”
Sun Tzu, “The Art of War”
Endgame…
Talice waited. The late afternoon beneath the canopy grew dim. The sweat on her skin cooled to the point she wished she’d worn a
full bodysuit. She rose with a groan, and bent to pick up her carbine. The tree trunk just above her erupted into splinters. A second later, a rifle report echoed in the forest.
Instinctively, she dropped to prone, wriggled behind a boulder, and laid still, shaken. Fuck! The sniper is still out there! Why didn’t he go for the ATV? Or me when I was setting my trap? Fuck!!!
She crawled to the edge of the rocks and glanced back at the shattered spot on the tree behind her. Lined up by eye where the shot might have come from. Kept her head down as she eased her way to a reasonable firing position. Sighted to a rock roughly two hundred meters away, obscured mostly by, what else, trees, but with a narrow slightline between two that were angled gently away from each other. She waited for a glint of metal or something to give her a target.
Another shot rang out, and Talice buried her face in deadfall. Waited. Nothing had struck near her. She lifted her head only enough to glance around carefully.
“You’re clear, Captain. Sniper is dead.”
“Ollie? You were supposed to go back with the ATV!”
“Sorry, Captain, but that order must have been scrambled. You know how this encryption system dislikes my accent.”
Talice laid her head back down, panting again, this time in relief. “Okay, I’ve been officially chastised. Thank you. Now what?”
“Tooley and I have you covered. When Jance comes, we’ll ensure it’s a fair fight.”
“Why am I not surprised?” Talice mumbled to herself. “Alright, good enough. Tooley, I’m assuming you’re listening, so keep the chatter to a minimum. It’s just us three, so that’s in the rules. I’m assuming the rest of the team is still with Bird One, right?”
“They have their orders, Captain.” Tooley’s voice carried a hint of amusement.
What the hell is that supposed to mean? Mac. Gotta be Mac. Talice sighed. “Stay safe. Go silent.”
Two individual clicks in her earpiece were the only acknowledgments.
Long moments passed. She stayed low, even though she was certain Ollie had taken out the sniper. Could be others. Wouldn’t surprise me, anything Jance would do now. But I’ve got to keep her off balance.
Talice clicked the Clear channel again. “Hey, Jance, where are you? It’s getting real boring out here. I’m thinking that a nice bunk would be better than this. I’m not gonna wait until night for you, so if you want a crack at earning your money, you’d better show up.” She paused. “By the way, the net says viewers are complaining about your lack of involvement. They want their creditmarks back.”
No reply. Okay, that tells me Jance is moving, likely with backup.
She hit All-Channel again. “Mac, tactical assessment. What’s going on at their cave?”
“Nothing at the cave we hit, but we’ve got movement a kilometer away on the far side. Hold on, I’ve got Abie on ship’s comm.” Mac clicked away as Talice waited.
A minute later something passed overhead so low, it shook the trees and scattered birds.
“Mac! Is Bird One airborne? What the hell?”
“Fighter! Abie is taking us up!” Mac’s voice was shaking.
Damn, I didn’t even think about this! Is Jance flying it? Would she run out on this to save her own skin?
“Talice, we’re running, and looks like we’re going to have to fight. Either that, or get away from Theia where Abie has better defenses.”
“Do it! We’re good, we can hold.”
“Hua. Big guys at the cave to keep things fair.”
Talice nearly laughed to herself. Yeah, Briggs and Dosu weren’t about to let this get out of hand. She clicked the intercom. “Abie, do whatever you have to do. Take that fighter out! Fuck ’em!”
“Copy that! Bird One is going hot!”
A streak of white, climbing almost vertically between the trees, caught her eye. Then a second, following. This is getting stupid. Okay, Jance, you wanted a fight, you’ve got one.
Talice started to rise, then paused, crouching once more behind the boulder. I’m not acting, I’m reacting. The trap is good, but now what? Jance isn’t answering, so she’s on the move. Niky can’t find her if she’s not talking.
She thought for a moment. I’ve got two teams now, Ollie and Tooley, then Briggs and Dosu at the cave. Time to put a plan together.
She clicked the All-Channel. “Briggs, I want you and Dosu to keep whoever’s in the cave occupied. If they show their faces, drive them back in. If they come out and engage, take them out.”
“Hua, Captain. About time you let us in on the fun.”
Mac cut in with worry in her voice. “Talice, Abie’s busy with the fighter. We’re headed out of the atmosphere, so you’re probably going to be on your own for a while, until she can take it out.”
Crap! There goes our encryption! Talice took a breath before answering. “Understood. Stay in contact as long as you can. What about the drones?”
“Briggs has controls. Drone One is above the forest area at five kilometers, the 10mm has two hundred-fifty rounds. Drone Two is at two kilometers and still over the cavern entrance. One more grenade.”
“Good job. Any way you can slave the 10mm drone to Tooley?”
Mac hesitated in her reply. “Not that I know of. I’ll talk to Nikolay, see if we can use a carrier wave between them, or using Drone Two as a relay.”
“Copy, let me know as soon as you can. This is gonna get interesting very soon.”
Talice slid from behind the boulder to the tree her HCS was hidden within. Bělinka’s carbine was light in her hands, not reassuring and heavy like the pulse rifle. She knew it could still penetrate any armor she could think of, loaded with 5.56mm AP cartridges, as it was.
Ten clips, a hundred rounds total. Geez, this is scary…
She drank from her S-H tube. “Tooley, get with Ollie, form up a fire team. Move to my right flank.”
A click acknowledged her order. Faint rustling was heard behind and to her right. She watched two directions at once, worried their comm might be compromised, regardless of Niky’s expertise.
Movement ahead caught her ear. The air grew still. Talice recalled Rory’s words about the forest becoming silent. She lowered herself to a crouch, eyes moving.
A mechanical roar, and a two-wheeled speeder leapt from the brush beyond. Light rounds peppered the trees around her, debris stinging her bare arms.
Talice rolled away as the speeder passed, firing. She snapped off three quick shots, missing badly. Not used to this! Hardly any recoil, and too damned light. I should have practiced, but we had no time!
The speeder turned hard about, coming at her again. Twin auto-feeders opened up. She threw herself to the side, almost in time. The wheel nicked her left foot in passing, nearly tearing her boot off.
A hail of heavy fire caught the speeder as it turned again. The drive batteries exploded, and a figure ran, screaming and ablaze, from the wreckage. Another one-second burst cut him down.
Silence again. Talice watched that the fire didn’t spread. An armored figure appeared from her right and tossed dirt on the remaining flames until they subsided.
“Tooley, report!”
“You okay, Captain? Fire’s out. We’re good here.”
“Copy, good as well. Eyes front!” Talice glanced at her boot. The tire had left a heavy mark across the toe, and her ankle throbbed. Not bad, could have maimed me, that’s for sure. Or worse.
She scanned the area. Getting dark. Dammit, Jance, where the hell are you?
* * *
Talice sat as the forest dimmed, running scenarios through her mind. They all came back to one distinct possibility: Jance had no intention of facing Talice alone.
What if she lured me here just to see it was done? What if she’s in that damned fighter, going after Bird One? Fuck! Have I been that gullible?
She clicked All-Channel. “Mac, you out there? Talk to me.”
She waited. There wasn’t even static on the channel. Nothing.
“Captain, Mac said they
’d likely be out of range.” Tooley, obviously trying to soothe her nerves.
“I know. Just thought they’d have taken care of the fighter by now. Thanks.” Maybe two hours until sunset. We’d better start preparing.
She touched the intercom switch again. “Briggs, status.”
“No movement in the cave, Captain. I’m not sure there’s anyone in there now.”
Talice thought. “Can you send the drone in? Enough room?”
“Yeah, we gotta do something. Sunset in about two hours. We need to regroup.”
“Copy that. Send the drone, then get back to me.”
“Hua, Captain. Working on it now.”
“Tooley, you and Ollie work your way back to the defensive location. I’ll meet you there.”
A click of acknowledgement.
She waited again, this time for Briggs to report. Worried about Bird One. Worried about Mac. Worried about Jian.
Worried if she’d been a fool. Again.
Talice stood, watching around. Heavy gunfire tore apart the trees around her. She dove, a grazing shot tracing across her right calf. She counted the seconds instinctively, knowing a five-second burst was usually the max. Not this time.
A second round of fire shattered small boulders and literally brought tree limbs crashing down on top of her, across her back, knocking her breathless.
Counter-fire came from behind. Tooley barked an order to Ollie, but the gunfire made it impossible to understand.
She managed to free her hands and hit the intercom. “Briggs, Trouble in Paradise! Fire from the west, Tooley and Ollie are on the east!”
Talice was pinned down. The gunfire was creeping closer, seemed to be toying with her, not wanting to kill her too quickly.
Sharp reports from the southwest. Ollie!
“Briggs, come in from the northwest! Take their flank!”
Talice dragged herself behind a shattered rock. Heavy footsteps passed her by, and she knew it had to be Tooley. “Briggs, Tooley is counter-punching. Don’t shoot him by mistake!”