Tags:
thriller,
Science-Fiction,
adventure,
Action,
Military,
War,
Virus,
Combat,
Apocalyptic,
Plague,
Aliens,
spaceship,
space
anyone
from getting away.
We’ll see , she thought.
The helos lifted in two pairs, each lead and
trail about one hundred meters laterally separated. They
disappeared into the dawning sky, barely visible with all their
running lights off. On top of their surfaces they had faint green
glow-strips so they could see each other, invisible from the
ground.
Intel had detected no radars or air-defense
weapons, so they had a good chance of dropping the assault teams
off safely. Getting out might be another issue, but the aviators of
Task Force 160 were the best in the world, dedicated support for
the Delta hostage rescue teams and other special operations
forces.
In fact, Jill had heard that once the
commando nano was fully stabilized, Delta would be the next ones to
get it. More power to ‘em , she thought. Gotta respect the
D-boys after what they laid down in Mogadishu. Besides, she had
a better plan for taking the next step up, and it was waiting in
front of her.
The go-code crackled over the squadcomm and
Lockerbie cranked up the Beast. They were parked behind a monstrous
M1A4 tank with “Big Daddy” painted in white on its rear end. The
laser antimissile R2D2 fitted to the turret made it look like
something from a sci-fi movie.
They were supposed to let the tank, and its
fellows strung out left and right of her, charge forward across the
open fields and pasturelands outside of the Pax River complex. The
Navy and Marines were making a similar assault on the Solomons
Island complex across the narrow strait. Bill had given them all he
knew but he’d never been to this area, the heart of Septagon
Shadow, so a simultaneous assault was the best bet to rescue
prisoners, capture scientists and take as much of the technology
intact.
The big tank lurched forward and Lockerbie
pulled in directly behind it as per orders. Dawn was just breaking
to the east but the driver had the Beast’s infrared sensors linked
into her squadcomm helmet and drove like it was daylight.
“See that next open field?” Repeth asked
“Sure, Top.”
“As soon as Big Daddy in front of us squashes
that fence, pass him on the left and punch it.”
“Ah…okay, Top. Hope he doesn’t decide to put
a round up our ass.”
“Naw, we got IFF on, right?”
“Right,” answered Grusky from the back seat
after checking the comms stack.
“Fine. I want to be in on the kill.”
“Funny, Top, I thought you might say that. I
didn’t need my next stripe anyway.” As the tank flattened the
fence, Lockerbie accelerated and roared around the behemoth,
bouncing over the ruts and bumps. “Shit!” she yelled as suddenly
some hills grew legs. “They didn’t say anything about cows!” She
wrenched the wheel hard to the right, then left again.
“Intel always sucks, you know that,” Repeth
said dryly as the black-and-white milk cattle scattered in all
directions.
In front of the Beast they could see the
target complex, a low line of buildings now lit by flashes of
gunfire. Whirlybird shapes appeared briefly above the treeline to
their left before disappearing into the night at nap-of-the-earth
height, wheels brushing the treetops.
“All right folks, let’s get in there and give
the glory boys some help. Butler, you are weapons free, but be damn
sure what you’re shooting at. Use Needleshock to start with in case
it’s our guys.”
“Roger,” came Butler’s laconic reply. “Uh oh,
here we go.” He ripped off a burst with his gun, a sound like steel
cans going through a wood chipper. Yellow fire reached out from the
Vixen as the tracers among the shells lit their path. An enemy SUV
burst into flame and rolled to a stop, men bailing out.
“Cut them down,” Repeth ordered. “They might
be Shadows. Needleshock will give them a fighting chance.”
“You got it, boss.” More light stabbed out,
short bursts that touched the figures and threw them like puppets
to the ground.
Then they were in among the buildings, and
the weakness of Repeth’s