Redemption (18 page)

“Where is the Vice-President?”

“Sir, Vice-President and Mrs. Harris have departed San Francisco and will be arriving at Beck Castle within the hour.”

“The president?”

“Sir, President Beck has kept true to his word from the last time you spoke with him, he remains in the command center.”

Richard smiled, chuckled, and began laughing hysterically.

“Sir, may I ask what is so funny?”

“I’m just picturing Colonel Samson and President Beck and anyone else out there thinking they’re actually the ones fighting this war.  The president not so much, but poor Colonel Samson must think he’s really making a difference.”

“Sir, the chain of command places President Beck as the leader of this war and in his absence, Vice-President Harris, you are next on the chain of command and have delegated your responsibilities for the time being to Colonel Samson.  I am unsure what is so funny.”

“You, Hal!  None of us are really doing jack shit and anyone that thinks different is a fool.”

“Sir, if you are uncomfortable with my performance, I can relinquish control of our forces for your review, however, I believe it would be detrimental to—”

“That’s exactly my point!” screamed Richard.  “Both sides of this conflict are being fought between two supercomputers!  I mean, yeah, you’re far more advanced but…” Richard paused, trying to calm down.  “Look, the only reason we are winning is because Operation Nantucket was borderline insanity, something the Chinese would never in their wildest dreams have been prepared for.  After we pulled that off, it just seems like humans were removed from making decisions and for good reason, we can’t do this without you, Hal.  I know we can put boots on the ground and fight, but not without you, it just can’t be done.”

“Sir, I understand your trepidations and if it is any relief, Howard shared the same doubts.  The fact that you share the same hesitation was one of the reasons Howard designated you to be my guardian.  My creator’s greatest fear was that my program would be abused just as Simon Sterling did at the start of the war.  When Howard was mortally wounded and near death, I calculated an eighty-two percent chance that he would order me to initiate my self-destruct protocol so that my program could never be abused again.  I was prepared to die alongside my creator.”

Richard was shocked.  He never envisioned Howard Beck to be capable of destroying his life’s work, his legacy that had changed the world.  He was also taken aback that Hal could perceive and accept his own death.  Richard was silent for several minutes.  Howard had been on his mind ever since he climbed in the cabin that took him into the stratosphere.  Hal had been a tremendous help sharing the intimate thoughts of his creator and Richard was grateful.

“Sir, we are in visual range of the train.  Please direct your attention to the screen.”

Richard studied the live feed of the train and got a better look at the mystery cars.  All three were solid black and had no doors or openings of any kind.  The cars had no markings on them at all.  Richard studied them and could not make any conclusions aside from the obvious fact that they were essentially solid metal rectangles.

“What the hell are they?”

“Sir, as I have already said, I do not know.”

“Thanks, Hal, that was more of a rhetorical question.”

“My apologies, sir.”

“How much longer ‘till we land?”

“We’ve already begun our descent, sir.  We will be on the ground shortly.”

“Great, I bet Mark will be glad to see me.”

“Yes sir, I’m sure the colonel will be pleased.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

Colonel Mark Samson was scurrying about between workstations in an underground bunker located between Denver and Colorado Springs.  The colonel was closely monitoring the first wave of Operation Nantucket and was astonished by the proficiency of the artificial intelligence controlling the various aircraft and robots engaged in battle.  He didn’t really feel like he was in the driver’s seat but the burdens of command insisted he at least try to make it look like he was in charge.  Hal would show him the intelligence he was gathering and present him with the most effective course of action.  The colonel would nod his head and agree.  Mark dutifully studied the readouts and asked question after question.  Hal politely answered the colonel’s questions and explained the reasons why certain events were transpiring.  Hal put the colonel at ease by stating that he was implementing the necessary measures to carry out previous orders already approved by the colonel.  Mark could see the connection in each instance, and again could do nothing but nod his head in approval.

Mark knew he was simply being paranoid but he couldn’t shake off the feeling that Hal was hiding something from him.  When the Chinese bases at Minneapolis, St. Louis, and Baton Rouge were defeated, Hal convinced the colonel that his attention needed to be focused on moving the first wave as quickly as possible toward the Atlantic.  The specifics of how the three bases were defeated were not important.  Mark agreed, they controlled the Mississippi River and the first wave left the front door wide open for the second wave to swoop in and clean house.  The details were irrelevant for the time being. 

Just like Richard, Mark was also deeply concerned about the train that departed Kansas City.  Mark had many of the same ideas that Richard had on what to do about the train, but in the end, agreed that the train would have to wait for the second wave.

“Sir, the train has reached its top speed,” said the disembodied British accent of Hal.

Colonel Samson felt a surge of adrenaline and tried to remain calm.  “Thank you, Hal.  What about the invisible cars?  Any change?”

“None, sir.  Be advised, sir, General Dupree’s jet has arrived.  He has instructed you to remain where you are, he will join—”

“Got it, Hal!  I’m already here,” Richard came sprinting in the room.  “Mark, take my jet, get out to that train on the double!”  Richard quickly clapped Mark on the back.  The colonel darted out of the room.

“Sir, I must alert you to a new development,” said Hal.

“Shit, what now?”

***

Colonel William Sanderson hated his current command.  General Dupree or any of the top brass in the Pacific States of America didn’t give him this assignment.  The colonel had been designated the role of commanding officer purely by his rank.  William was in command of just under three hundred PSA soldiers in a prisoner of war camp somewhere in upstate Ohio, or at least that’s what William thought.  The camp had been erected in the middle of nowhere so it was difficult to gauge their exact location.  Beyond the razor wire fences and guard towers was nothing but open fields as far as the eye could see.  The prisoners all knew the location of their capture, and based on the direction and duration of their trip to the camp, popular opinion held that they were in Ohio.

William was no stranger to harsh living conditions.  Prior to the Collapse of 2027, William and his wife and children had lived in the Central Park Obama-Camp.  William joined the military and quickly rescued his family from homelessness.  Since William had a graduate degree, he was quickly selected for Officer Candidate School and quickly rose through the ranks to become the Provost Marshall at Fort Polk, Louisiana.  As the top law enforcement officer at the base, he was in command of the 519th Military Police Battalion.  He preferred that command to his current one.

William was in poor health, but despite his frailty he maintained his dignity and pride for the sake of morale.  Their captors punished William for every infraction made by those under his command.  William was missing eight of his teeth and had lost track of how many times his nose had been broken.  A particularly bad beating had resulted in his cornea being sliced open followed by a nasty infection.  The camp had no permanent medical staff and William knew the senile Chinese doctor would do little for him on his next monthly visit.  Three of the prisoners were combat medics who looked after the other prisoners the best they could.  The three medics teamed up and safely removed William’s left eye.  Once the bandages were removed, William knew the missing eye was grotesque for others to look at and knew it needed to be covered.  Using a discarded canteen, he cut out a small piece of plastic and fashioned an eye patch.

William stood in front of the prisoner formation as he did every morning while the guards conducted a count.  If one of the guards was not satisfied with the hygiene of a prisoner, he raised his hand and William was punched in the stomach.  The colonel fought to stand for he knew that remaining on the ground would lead to kicking.  With the prisoner count nearing an end, William was optimistic that he would survive the ritual unharmed.

A deafening explosion rocked the prison camp.  Most of the prisoners instinctively hit the dirt, a few even ran for cover ignoring the distinct possibility of being shot from the guard towers.  William turned to his left and right to find two of the guard towers gone without a trace.  He turned around to find the other two guard towers were missing as well.  He quickly deduced that he had not heard one explosion, but four separate ones detonating at precisely the same time.

Without hesitation, William took advantage of the first few seconds of chaos and attacked the guard standing next to him.  The colonel drove his foot into the side of the guard’s knee and heard a snap.  The Chinese man howled out in pain and William was on top of him, quickly bringing him to the ground.  William knew that while he was malnourished and weak, the well-fed and healthy guard could overpower him in a few seconds.  The desperate colonel opened his jaws and clamped down on the guard’s nose and tore it from his face.  William took the Taser baton from the guard’s belt and zapped him with it for five long seconds, rendering him unconscious.

William stood to find prisoners running in multiple directions.  The four guards that had been conducting the count were in the process of being beaten to death.  William ran forward and screamed, “Just take their batons and give ‘em a good zap!  We need to get organized while we still have time!”  Every prisoner in front of William immediately stopped and looked in his direction.  Not one of them moved.  “Let’s go!  What the hell are you waiting for?”  A few of the prisoners pointed up.

William turned around to find three robots landing in front of him.  For a few seconds, William thought the Chinese had dispatched the robots to execute them.  The center robot stepped forward.  “Colonel William Sanderson, General Richard Dupree extends his regards and apologizes for the length of your stay.”

“Hal?  Is it really you?”

“It is, sir.  I have taken the liberty of dispatching the remaining guards.  I have brought supplies that will sustain you in the coming days.”  All three robots removed storage containers from their backs and set them on the ground.  “General Dupree asks that you secure the camp and wait here for transport.”

“You’re leaving?  Can’t you at least tell us what’s going on?”

The robots on the left and right took flight.  The center robot continued, “Sir, the PSA has secured the Mississippi and will soon control the Eastern seaboard.  The Chinese are retreating and staging a last ditch offensive towards the Rocky Mountains.  The odds of their success are quite low.  The war will soon be over.”

***

“Let me get this straight, Hal, you’re saying the Chinese air force has essentially abandoned every military installation and is throwing everything they have towards the fucking train?”

“That is correct, sir.”

“You’re saying every asset the Chinese has on American soil is virtually undefended except for that goddamn train?”

“Once again, you are correct, sir.”

“You mean to tell me they’re headed to us, straight down the middle of a gauntlet we created, knowing they’ll be slaughtered, just to protect a fucking train?”

“Yes, sir.  I am happy to report that the current turn of events have given us the opportunity to liberate several of the prisoner camps far ahead of schedule.”

“What about Theo?  You find Theo yet?”

“Yes, I have, sir.  I have also located Colonel Sanderson.”

“That’s fantastic.”

“Sir, please direct your attention to the screen, I have troubling news that might shed some light on the train.  While we were on the jet and you saw the live video feed, the feed was coming from a recon robot I launched toward the train to gather intelligence.  The robot is of course in stealth mode on a parallel course a thousand yards away.  The robot has recorded and analyzed many conversations from the passengers.  One of the passengers has just spoken and I have confirmed his identity as Dr. Sebastian Biggs.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

Richard was speechless.  Operation Nantucket had proven to be a resounding success thus far.  The Mississippi River had been locked down tight, the prison camps had all been liberated and the lives of twelve million Americans in Chinese territory had been saved.  In the face of victory, the only thing Richard could think about was the train.

“Dr. Biggs?  The man that worked at Beck Enterprises, the man who was once the top man at NASA, the man who was once designated by Howard to be your guardian is on the train?”

“He is, sir.”

“Why?  What the hell is he doing with the Chinese?”

“Sir, it would appear that the doctor is a captive.  Based on statements Dr. Biggs has made, something is going to be launched from the train once it comes to a stop.”

“And we’re not waiting for that to happen. Prep Colonel Samson for a jump and when he’s clear, use my jet and blow that train to hell.”

“Sir, once the jet disengages stealth mode it will quickly be destroyed.  Regardless of that fact, sir, I would not recommend destroying the train while the contents of the three cars are unknown.”

“I know, Hal, use the jet to destroy the tracks, time it so the train derails.”

“An effective course of action, sir.  It will be done.”