The Blackstar Gambit

by Jan Domagala

  As their boss fell to the ground his men stared at the small menacing figure before them.

  “Set the timer, like I said, for ten minutes,” he ordered coldly.

  One of the men reached down and did something whilst the other continued to stare at the pistol held unwaveringly on him.

  “Done,” he said.

  “Good,” Visjic said then shot the two of them.

  He glanced at the timer and smiled.

  “Okay, come pick me up now,” he said through a comm. link he had already established with his pilot in the freighter hidden in orbit around Earth.

  He looked up at the sky to see if he could spot the shuttle that would rescue him and silently prayed they would get there in time.

  12.45 s.e.t.

  Kurt’s eyes landed on the group as it stopped at the top of the hill. They had lugged something large up there with them, which they began to unpack from what looked like a crate.

  “What the hell is that they’ve got?” Zara asked as she watched them unpack whatever it was.

  Before Kurt could comment, he saw Visjic shoot Tomas. They all dropped into a crouch as they waited to see if any fire would be directed their way.

  “What the fuck!” he exclaimed as the larger man toppled over.

  “Looks like he’s doing our job for us,” commented Zara.

  “We have to get up there fast,” Kurt said then gestured to the Marines to follow him.

  Two more shots were heard and Kurt signalled for them to stop once more. He looked up at the smaller man who had been doing the shooting. His enhanced eyesight could make out every detail of him as he went over to the object they had hauled out of the crate.

  When he realised what it was, he looked at Zara.

  “We have to get Sinclair and the delegates out of there, now!” he yelled.

  “What is it, what have you seen up there?” Zara asked suddenly afraid, and with her enhancements she never thought anything could scare her again. With the look in Kurt’s eyes though, she now knew that to be untrue.

  “If I’m right, they have a Quantum bomb up there,” he said urgently then turned his head to contact Colonel De Boer through a secure comm link.

  “A Quantum bomb that size would destroy...” she let her words trail off, not wanting them to be said, as the truth was too awful.

  “Yes, all of this city and well beyond,” Kurt finished for her. “We need to get up there and see if we can stop it,” he added.

  “Look!” Zara told him pointing at a dot in the sky. It was getting bigger as it neared them. Whatever it was it seemed to be coming straight for them.

  12.50 s.e.t.

  Visjic looked up the moment he heard the engine approaching.

  The shuttle was coming in hot and he just hoped it would stop in time.

  It was a sleek two-man craft built for speed, which he had stored in the freighter just for this occasion.

  He would get out and with the craft’s speed be away from ground zero in time to beat the blast wave that would decimate most of the Eastern Seaboard.

  The craft swooped down fast coming to rest near to where Visjic was standing. He sprinted across, climbed aboard and the craft lifted off, all within the space of a few minutes.

  12.52 s.e.t.

  Kurt, Zara and the Marines reached the device just seconds after the sleek craft left.

  As Kurt peered over at the device he saw the timer, it was a digital readout counting down. It read 09.53.33 and was reducing as they watched.

  “Can you stop it?” Zara asked urgently.

  Kurt looked up at her and shook his head.

  “Sir, we have a Quantum bomb set to detonate in less than ten minutes. We need to evacuate the summit delegates right now,” Kurt said into the comm channel he was connected to.

  Sinclair came on line and his words were calm and clear. He said, “You and Zara take the device and drop it into the North Atlantic Ocean as far away from here as you can. There is no time to evacuate anyone. Millions will die if you fail, now go.”

  Zara was linked to the call and she looked at him with steely determination in her eyes.

  “We can do this,” she told him.

  Kurt nodded then gestured for the Sky Panther to come over them.

  He told the pilot to drop a harness, which he did and they attached it to the device and both of them climbed on top of the device as he winched it off the ground.

  Kurt quickly climbed up the wire followed by Zara and into the heli jet.

  “I’ll take over, you need to jump out as soon as we reach a safe height, this could get scary,” Kurt told the pilot.

  “With respect sir, I’m not leaving this ship, you need me. We’re in this together,” the pilot refused.

  Zara took the co-pilot’s seat and Kurt looked at her, how could he tell the pilot that they could survive this but he might not – most definitely would not – survive the blast without giving away their secret?

  He waited for her to get her hands on the controls then grabbed the pilot and hauled him out of the seat. The pilot was powerless to stop him and before he knew it, he was being tossed out of the craft.

  His parachute opened automatically allowing him to drift down to the ground safely as Kurt took his seat.

  He quickly took over the controls and headed the Sky Panther out to sea. He boosted the engines to maximum output increasing the craft’s speed.

  It would be tight but hopefully they would get clear enough to save all the lives that would be lost had it detonated on the ground in the middle of Washington DC.

  “We won’t get far enough out to sea will we?” Zara asked, although she already knew the answer.

  Kurt simply glanced at her and his expression of guilt told her the truth.

  They both knew that, although casualties would be reduced, they would not be stopped. People would die and there was nothing they or anyone could do to prevent it.

  31

  12.53 s.e.t.

  Visjic was smiling as he saw the atmosphere change from bright blue around him to the darkness of space.

  The freighter was within reach now, just a few minutes away but before that, he would gloat as he watched the Eastern Seaboard of the United States of America destroyed.

  He turned his monitor to a rear view so he could watch the light show from his explosion down on the ground.

  He saw the Sky Panther lift off and he zoomed in on what was dangling below.

  “They have the bomb,” he snarled.

  He contacted the freighter quickly outlining what he wanted, then waited. In seconds he saw a missile streaking down from the sky aimed right at the Sky Panther. Onboard guidance kept the missile on track and as the jet copter lifted off and turned towards the coast, it followed.

  The resulting explosion took off the rear of the aircraft sending it into a spin. All control was lost and those inside were doomed.

  Visjic needn’t watch any further for he knew the outcome of that. The aircraft would crash killing all on board and the bomb would be near enough to Capitol Hill to destroy enough of it meaning his plan would go ahead.

  His plans were progressing with the speed and accuracy he had intended. Considering he had little time to plan this, he was amazed at how it had all fallen into place. Since he had first learned of Kurt Stryder it had taken less than a week of planning and execution to bring the entire Confederation to its knees.

  All that was required now was to get back to Osiris where he had trapped Kurt and his woman and complete his plan.

  It would take a little time to extract them from the rubble he had trapped them beneath but time was something he had an abundance of now.

  The Security Council would be destroyed in less than ten minutes and the Confederation would be running around like headless chickens trying to organise some damage limitation. He had all the time needed to harvest the DNA from his two guests.

  Things were looking good. Finally, he could take his rightful place in the Galaxy. He
and his family would fill the power vacuum that the death of the Confederation had left and they would rule. No one would stand in their way.

  There was just one nagging thought that poked and prodded at the back of his mind, something he could not quite pick out, not quite recognise, so he ignored it. It was probably of no consequence anyway.

  12.54 s.e.t.

  Kurt was in control of the Sky Panther when alarms sounded.

  “What’s that?” Zara asked, just when they thought they had a chance of getting the bomb away.

  “We’ve got incoming,” Kurt said. He looked at her and they both knew they had failed. There was no way they could outrun the missile, not carrying the bomb. The Sky Panther was not designed for aerial manoeuvring of that nature. True she had counter measures on board but the missile had a hard lock on to them. Counter measures might slow it down but not stop it. They were doomed.

  Seconds after the alarm sounded, the missile struck the rear quarter of the ship.

  The blast took off the entire rear section in a fiery blast that sent them into a deadly tailspin.

  Unable to regain control of the damaged craft Kurt headed for the door followed by Zara.

  Grabbing parachutes on the way, they dived through the open hatch before the tailspin prevented them exiting due to increased ‘G’ force.

  They fought to strap the ’chutes on them and pulled the cords to open them. The ’chutes opened, billowing out above their heads as air filled them to slow their descent. Even so, they slammed into the ground with enough force to break both legs and shatter spines. Just after their crash the Sky Panther exploded sending fiery rain down on them.

  Not far from where they landed lay the Quantum bomb.

  Kurt looked across and through his agony as his body miraculously healed, he saw the bomb. He heard Zara scream in agony as her body went through the same healing process too and he forced himself to his feet.

  He grabbed her and tried to run towards the top of the hill. It was their only chance now to get the Marines to safety before the bomb went off.

  Kurt screamed at the Marines at the top of the hill to recall the elevator as the two of them struggled up toward them.

  On the way, Zara grabbed the pilot and the three of them ran as fast as they could to the top of the hill.

  They had little time left.

  They entered the elevator inside what was left of the Capitol Building.

  “Sir we failed to get clear. The device will explode in less than three minutes so we need to get down to the bunker and hope that it will survive the blast,” Kurt said to Sinclair through the comm link.

  “We’ll be waiting son and God help us all,” Sinclair replied with a touch of raw emotion that was unprecedented of the great man.

  Kurt, Zara and the Marines, with the rescued pilot, travelled down to the basement of the huge building where Colonel De Boer had the rest of his contingent of Marines were waiting.

  “We need to get everyone back inside sir, now,” Kurt urged breathlessly. He was desperate to get them all to safety, waving his arms like a madman.

  “This way,” De Boer indicated and they all rushed inside the chamber that had been designed to survive a nuclear war centuries before.

  As the huge three feet thick metal doors closed and were sealed all they could do was wait.

  13.00 s.e.t.

  Visjic applauded as his screen was lit up with the detonation of his Quantum bomb.

  He knew the Eastern Seaboard had just been vaporised by the blast he had orchestrated.

  Millions of lives had been snuffed out in the blink of an eye and many more would be caught in the shockwave as it travelled outwards from the blast’s epicentre.

  He tapped the pilot on the shoulder and with a satisfied smile firmly in place said, “Take us to the freighter; time to go home.”

  13.01 s.e.t.

  Inside the bunker, they all watched the monitor screens dotted around the large room.

  They were appalled at the destruction the Quantum bomb had wrought on the city above their heads.

  An area of at least ten miles had been levelled by the blast, which sent out a fireball high into the air. The shockwave from the blast travelled over twenty miles in seconds destroying everything in its path. The bunker they were in was shielded with lead and was several hundred feet under the ground and yet the blast so was severe it shook the walls.

  Everyone looked around as the bunker seemed to be shoved sideways. The walls seemed to buckle but held seemingly at the point of breaking.

  As the tremors stabilised everyone began to calm down. Several of the delegates had dived for cover beneath the large table that was the centrepiece of the room. They slowly crawled out from their hiding place, eyes wide with fear.

  Anyone caught outside in the blast radius would be instantly vaporised from the heat from the blast. Anything after that, as the heat dissipated along with the shockwave, would receive injuries and burns to varying degrees.

  It was a catastrophe of immense proportions and those inside the bunker were struck dumb by the enormity of it all.

  The Quantum bomb was equal to a nuclear blast but with one significant difference, there was no fallout. The device was powered by zero point energy and the effect of the explosion had flattened the area around Capitol Hill and razed everything to the ground.

  It was total devastation and only used in the most extreme of cases. Somehow, this man had obtained a device that was a game changer and used it ruthlessly against a civilian target. It was a reprehensible act of terror and Kurt silently vowed it would not go unpunished.

  President Takagi slumped into a chair and held his head in his hands.

  “How could this happen?” he asked of no one in particular.

  “Sir, I can assure you that this will be dealt with in the harshest of fashion,” Sinclair declared softly.

  The other delegates around the room stared at the monitors unable to tear their eyes from the horror they were witnessing.

  “How many, how many dead General?” Takagi asked not daring to look up.

  “Too early to estimate, sir.”

  Questions began to be asked around the room as the delegates found their voices.

  Sinclair moved off to the rear of the bunker, herded away by Colonel De Boer. He thought it best to put a little distance between him and the rest of the delegates.

  Kurt and Zara went to stand by him. “General, those Marines saw something they shouldn’t have,” he muttered quietly when he reached Sinclair’s side.

  “You and Zara’s party trick I assume?”

  “I’m afraid so sir, there was nothing we could do to prevent it.”

  “Don’t worry, I think there’ll be enough to occupy their minds in the next few hours when we leave here to survey the damage.”

  “Sir, what do we do about all those who died? There was nothing we could do to prevent it happening, we were shot down by Visjic, he was determined to succeed,” Zara said her eyes brimming with tears.

  Sinclair put a consoling hand on her shoulder. “I know dear, he thinks he has succeeded here today but we’ll show him that we won’t lie down for him. We will carry on, we will survive and we’ll avenge the deaths of those innocents who died at his hand.”

  As President Takagi called for the delegates to gather around the table Sinclair said, “Things will be different now. The seat of government will change, I’m sure of it. What we cannot allow to happen is for Col Sec to be handicapped by restraints. We must be able to strike back at this threat and with sufficient force to prevent him ever trying this again. To do that though we need to know all there is to know about him. We’ll start with what you two know.”

  32

  Counter Attack

  16.27 s.e.t.

  Visjic returned to Osiris and went down to the settlement in a shuttle.

  He had smiled all the way back to his home as he thought about his victory. He replayed the events over and over in his mind but there wa
s something missing from the puzzle. Something was preventing him from truly enjoying the memories but he couldn’t quite grasp what it was.

  As he walked over to the settlement and the structure beneath which lay his family, his mind latched onto something. One tiny detail started to clear, almost like walking clear of a mist-shrouded forest.

  He entered the building and walked over to the elevator shaft. It was still secure after the explosion that sealed it. He would have to use the maintenance shaft to gain access to the underground complex but he would have to tread carefully not to alert those he trapped beneath.

  Slinging the assault rifle over his shoulder, he walked to the maintenance shaft. To his surprise he found it had been opened.

  “No!” he screamed when he realised what had happened and what the nagging detail was that had bothered him about the destruction of Capitol Hill.

  He rushed down the ladder in the maintenance shaft and was soon in the underground chamber where his family was housed. He looked around, searched the entire area but they were gone.

  That was when it hit him; he knew what had been nagging at the back of his mind. Those figures he had seen that looked familiar, without him realising at the time, had been Kurt and Zara.

  He had destroyed his family’s only hope of survival along with the Confederation.

  He slumped against the wall when the enormity of what he’d done hit him. It wasn’t the loss of life he’d caused back in Washington; he didn’t care less for any of them. It was not being able to bring his family back from the brink that he felt the most.

  He had failed them, failed them all.

  As he looked up at the vats containing generations of his family, he swore an oath. He said, “If I can’t give you your freedom I’ll make sure they lose theirs too.”

  20.47 s.e.t.

  General Sinclair and his security detachment had exited the bunker and returned to the surface.

  They had watched the devastation there on monitors, as had all the delegates in the Security Summit delegation, but they needed to see it for themselves.

  As they exited the building’s ruins, they were struck once more by the total destruction the Quantum bomb had caused. Seeing it on a monitor was bad enough but it had somehow distanced them from the reality of the event. When they saw it with their own eyes the reality was almost too much to bear.