Beyond Armageddon V: Fusion (21 page)

“You don’t need to do this, Rick. You’ve earned a rest.”

“A rest? No, sir,” Hauser answered as he set down the heavy bags. “With you gone I’d be pretty bored. That’s what happened last year. So with all due respect, I’d just assume come with you. If you’ll have me.”

Trevor placed hand on Hauser’s shoulder in a sign of appreciation.

A navy officer wearing a captain’s uniform approached the group. He removed his cap revealing gray hair with a growing bald spot on top.

Trevor extended his free hand and asked, “Captain Farway?”

“Yes, sir,” the man offered a sincere and strong grip. “It is an honor to finally serve alongside you, Emperor.”

“Trevor.
That’s about the only name I’ve been comfortable with in all this.” he replied with a shade of a grin.

Trevor held members of the old world’s military in high esteem, particularly those who had lived through action. Captain Farway’s perils at sea during the first year had reached Trevor via Jon Brewer, who had rode with Farway to Greenland six years ago. In addition, Farway had leant his services to help destroy The Order’s hidden base in the Atlantic last year, a move that might have saved The Empire. At least temporarily.

Trevor continued, “If I remember correctly, we met a few years ago during a symposium on naval organization and deployment.”

“Yes, sir, I remember. First meeting I ever had with the brass that was clear and to the point,” Farway smirked then looked to the bags. “Are all your things here?”

“Yes, Captain. What’s our time table?”

Farway replaced his cap and answered, “We’ve stripped down pretty good for speed and should make good time. I hope to get you there sometime late on Wednesday.”

Trevor calculated—five days to cross the Atlantic.

“Father, will we be under water the whole way?”

Farway answered, “That’s right, little guy. But don’t you worry; it’ll be a smooth ride.”

Hauser muttered, “Underwater—the whole—way?”

Captain Farway glanced at the pilot and answered with a grin, “That’s right. Say, you’re not claustrophobic, are you?”

Trevor answered fast, “No, no of course not.
No.”

“Father, why are you sweating?”

“Say, can I help you with those things?” Farway volunteered but did not wait for an answer. He grabbed Trevor’s duffle bag as well as one of the bags from Hauser. The pilot and the navy man walked forward on the dock.

A seagull swooped low in search of food but found nothing and swooped into the sky even faster.

Trevor and Jorgie waited behind.

“Are you ready, buddy?”

JB nodded with forced enthusiasm.

Trevor held his hand down and open. The child reached up and grasped it. Trevor closed his fingers and JB’s hand nearly disappeared inside. Together father and son walked across the dock toward the
Newport News.

The Snowy Egret watched from its perch aboard the destroyed
USS Porter
as the new arrivals worked their way inside the submarine. Soon thereafter the remaining topside sailors disappeared below and the hatches closed. The smaller attack subs—the Barracudas—powered to life and took positions alongside the larger vessel as it sailed away from its moorings. All three boats cut gentle wakes disturbing an otherwise peaceful harbor.

As the trio neared the horizon, the smaller Barracudas broke off their escort and the
USS Newport News
slipped beneath the waters as if to hide from the world.

The Snowy Egret could not appreciate the beauty in the sight of the war machines heading off into a rising sun, but it captured the entire scene with its mechanical eyes; recording the view on an internal storage device that was one part circuitry and one part biological mass.

9. The Last Mission

Nina Forest stood in the observation lounge inside the Communications Center on the grounds of McConnell Air Force Base. The windows—shattered six days prior during Trevor’s visit to the center—remained open. A smoky breeze blew inside from what remained of the base.

Most of the papers and equipment of value to Casey Fink’s Headquarters Unit evacuated two days before. One big map pinned to a wall remained the exception, but it held no markers for The Order to interpret upon their arrival which was expected to occur within twenty-four hours.

The conference table sported a big crack through the middle but maintained enough strength to bear the weight of Nina’s gear: a backpack, utility belt, ballistic armor, a Kevlar helmet, her sword, and more.

She heard scattered shouts from outside where her team gathered. The engine of a Blackhawk helicopter spooled to life at the same time as a formation of human fighter jets roared overhead on their way west to meet the vanguard of Voggoth’s army.

As had been the case all her life, the trappings of battle—machine engines, shouts, chaos, the smell of fire—did not disturb Nina Forest. She felt at home among them. The only place, in the entire world, where she felt at home. Except for those few moments with Trevor before she had left the estate. That had felt like home, too, even better. More personal.

She knew the time had come, however, to cast that aside. She did her best to focus on the mission. The helicopter downstairs waited for her. She had memorized the appropriate command codes and evaluated areas of operation. She would lead her team behind the lines with the goal of hurting The Order’s armies, weakening them before they reached the Mississippi.

Of course Voggoth was in no hurry to engage The Empire’s defenses. Apparently he waited for his alien cohorts to arrive so they could take credit for his victory. She wished The Empire maintained the offensive capability to launch a counter-attack because Voggoth’s hesitation provided a perfect opportunity for a kill shot.

Alas, their losses in the Rockies greatly diminished offensive firepower. They would have to be content with an aggressive defense, like those fighter jets overhead, attacks by the
Chrysaor
after her repairs finished, and Nina’s Dark Wolves.

What did I do to make Trevor leave me? Did I betray him?

Nina shook her head as if trying to shake free the question. She could not afford to dwell on this. But at the same time, she could not help herself. She had always suspected more happened during that missing year. Since last summer—since receiving the video tape—the question as to why they separated ate at her soul each and every day.

Three days had passed since she spoke with Trevor at the estate; three days since he had embraced her. In that embrace she had felt a wave of warmth and regret from him. She saw clearly that he still cared for her; longed for her the way she wanted desperately to be with him. Yet something held him back.

Whatever I did, it wounded him so deeply that he denies his feelings; he rejects me even though he still loves me. My God, what did I do?

In frustration, Nina reached to her head and yanked off the black beret and slapped it against her thigh.

“Ain’t it ‘bout time you hit the road?”

Nina swung around and saw General Jerry Shepherd standing in the stairwell door.

He took one step into the room, removed his cowboy hat, and asked in a fatherly tone, “You okay, Nina? What’s wrong?”

Her lips moved but she suppressed the urge to ask. She had grilled him often over the years. Each time he evaded her questions. Each time—she now knew—he lied. Apparently the depth of her sin against Trevor required no one speak of it.

“Yeah, yeah I’m okay,” and she began fitting on her gear starting with the short sword which she strapped to her leg, then Interceptor body armor. “Just, you know, going over the whole thing again.”

Nina fit on a shoulder holster holding a MAC-11 machine pistol

“Not much to go over,” Shepherd stood next to her and leant a hand as she struggled into the heavy backpack. “You’re getting dropped behind the lines and then you hit targets of opportunity.”

She did not react to him. Instead, she checked the clip in her Colt M4 and slammed it back into place with more force than required, then jammed her beret into a pocket in favor of a Kevlar helmet. Her ponytail still managed to peak out behind.

She buckled the last piece into place: a thigh rig holding a powerful semi-automatic Desert Eagle handgun.

“I guess I’m ready,” and she stormed out of the room in big steps. The arsenal of firepower on her person jingled and clinked as she walked.

Her obvious anger took Shepherd by surprise. He put on his Stetson again and followed.

Clouds of black, oily smoke drifted across the distant horizon to the northwest of the base. Nina heard the
thud
and
crack
of far off explosions. A trio of Apache attack choppers buzzed across the tarmac hugging the ground as they hurried to join the rearguard action taking place along the railway tracks outside of Colwich.

The runways of McConnell had taken multiple poundings from enemy hammerhead bombers. The first serious hit had come on the day of Trevor’s visit last Tuesday. By Thursday—when Trevor held the ‘last’ meeting at the estate—General Casey gave up on trying to keep the runways operational. Several heavy cargo planes were left to die and the remaining supplies and materials moved out via helicopters and ground transportation.

On Friday—while Trevor and JB boarded the
Newport News
—General Casey Fink pulled out his HQ unit and made for Kansas City.

The first artillery bombardment from The Order’s warped batteries came yesterday—Saturday—chasing away the last of the garrison. Now the base made one last contribution to the war effort by serving as a transfer point for the Dark Wolves.

A UH-60 Blackhawk sat between bomb craters with its rotors spinning. This particular transport wore extra external fuel pods. Nina spied the other three members of her Dark Wolves commando team onboard as well as several K9s waiting patiently for their Captain. An Eagle transport parked on the other side of the Communications Center stood ready to spirit away General Shepherd.

Nina left the building and walked across the pavement, careful to avoid a piece of metal remaining from one of the many burned out airplanes.

“Nina! Whoa, hold up a sec,” and she stopped at the sound of Shep’s voice.

The wind from the rotors blew around debris and dust causing her to lower goggles strapped to her helmet.

Shep approached Nina, squinted in the wind, and examined her as if searching for injury. She returned his gaze with a stiff lip and narrow eyes.

Shep spoke in a voice barely loud enough to reach above the rotors, “This is it, you know. The final battle. Win or lose, it ends here.”

Nina answered in a soft shout, “I know.”

“I’ve always been proud of you, Nina. I guess it’s no secret that I think of you as that daughter I never had. I’m sorry if I was tough on you in the old days. You know, during your training and all. But I always knew you could be the best so I felt I had to push you. I figured that was the only way to get through that stubborn noggin’ of yours.”

Nina knew Shep to be right: this was the last mission. Odds were pretty good that she would never see him again. Despite plenty of self-confidence, Nina knew she would be operating far away from any support with only air drops and radio messages as assistance. In addition to The Order’s marching army, she would have to contend with all manner of hostile predators as well as groups of Mutants, Wraiths, and Roachbots swarming the countryside slaughtering stragglers and mopping up human resistance in the wake of Voggoth’s offensive.

All that lay in front of her and she knew this was probably the last time she would see Shep, a man who had been like a father to her for years. Could she just fly away, angry with him? No, but she could not pretend that she still believed the lies.

She burst loud enough that he could hear pleading in her words above the racing rotors, “What did I do? Shep! What did I do to chase him away?”

“What are you talkin’ about?”

“Trevor and I—we were—we were
together.
I saw it, Shep. Look, I have pictures. I know it with all my heart. But something happened—“

“Now, now, Nina, that’s not—“

“Something happened and he didn’t want me anymore. Oh, god, Shep, what did I do that he didn’t want me anymore? I can’t live without knowing. It’s eating me up inside. I think I betrayed him, or something. Did I betray Trevor? Is that why he couldn’t stand to be with me anymore? How did I lose him? I have to know!”

She saw Shep struggle with a great weight but she would not release him. Not now. The time for lies had passed.

“Ah, hell, I suppose it don’t matter none no more. If it does, I guess I’ll just have to live with whatever trouble it brings,” and he took hold of her shoulders and settled into the role of a father comforting his daughter. “When you were under the spell of that implant, yeah, they used you to get to Trevor.”

She felt a painful sting of tears. Her heart beat as if it might explode. All her worst fears seemed realized.

“But listen, Nina, all that happened
before
you and Trevor got together. Do you hear me?
Before.
That wasn’t your fault, you hear? Trevor saved you from them. He made sure we got you outta there. He didn’t blame you. He never did.”