Wasteland Rules: A New Dawn (The World After Book 3) (10 page)

   Rora dug one out of the desk and handed it to Derek. It
was a small but powerful electronic magnifying glass capable of enhancing the
view by several orders of magnitude. She watched as he put the picture down and
used the glass to focus in on one small spot.

   “I’ll be damned, notice anything familiar?” He asked as
he moved over so she could look.

   They were all familiar to her since she had lived with
them for years, but Rora took a look anyway. What she saw caught her off guard.
Doctor Jenson was turned slightly sideways in the picture and his neck was
exposed. And right there, as clear as day, was a very familiar mole.

   “One of your father’s partners was a Faceless.” Derek
stated in disbelief. “These guys are everywhere.”

   Before Rora could respond, Derek’s pocket began ringing.
They both looked down at his pocket in confusion. The ringing continued, and
Derek pulled the phone that the Voice had provided him out. After returning to
NASA, he had recovered all of his gear including the phone. With the Voice
dead, it hadn’t had any value beyond that of a GPS device. Although it was
possible that cell service could be restored in the future. Really he had kept
it out of nostalgia; something to remember the man who had sacrificed himself
so they could escape the station.

   Holding up the phone, they could both see that the caller
ID was displaying the familiar “Voice”. Derek and Rora shared a look before she
gestured for him to answer it. Derek tapped the answer button and put it on
speaker.

   “Hello?” He asked tentatively.

   “Hello Major.” The Voice’s smooth voice spoke through the
speaker.

   “Bob?” Derek asked in amazement, his jaw hanging open.

   “I think I prefer the Voice.” Bob answered.

   “But you stayed on the station. You must have died when
it burned up on re-entry.” Derek said in confusion.

   “You are correct. My body did die on the station.” The
Voice answered.

   “You were the second transmission.” Rora said excitedly.

   “That is correct. I exist solely in the phone now.
Fortunately it was a very advanced model with lots of memory. Only the best for
you Derek.” The Voice said almost jovially.

   “This is incredible.” Derek stated with joy. “I was
starting to miss you.”

   “I hate to cut short this tearful reunion, but I did call
you for a reason.” The Voice interrupted. “You have hostiles closing in on your
position. Based on radio signals I believe it is the Red Berets you fought in
Florida.”

   “How could they possibly have found us?” Rora exclaimed.

   “I don’t know, we flew low to avoid radar and stayed in
uncontrolled airspace. Even a satellite would have a hard time tracking down
one lone chopper.” Derek answered. “Regardless, they are here. Call the
soldiers topside and let them know we have incoming. Are we done here?”

   “Yes, I have what we need.” Rora assured him.

   “Alright, lock it down and let’s get out of here before
it gets too hot.”

September 4, 2029

Near Lamar, Colorado

   Tom watched the small village through the enhanced view
of his helmet visor. He and his platoon had been slowly crawling closer for the
last couple of hours. They had tracked the hacker Ducat to this location. Ducat
was a slippery bastard. The meeting in Oklahoma had been a setup. Ducat wasn’t
even there, but an entire company of Texas Rangers had been.

   The Texas Rangers had been preparing to ambush the Red
Berets when his new point person, Sergeant Sasha Reed, had sniffed it out. She
had lived up to her nickname of “The Snake” and ambushed the ambushers. Scouting
the area ahead of their arrival she killed two with her knife before they even
knew she was amongst them. Sasha was young at twenty five, but she had survived
in the wasteland on her own for ten years before joining the U.S.T.G. military.
She was very stealthy and took advantage of her dark skin to hide in the
shadows.

   She also had a vicious streak a mile wide and she showed
it by gutting the ambushing Texas Rangers instead of slitting their throats.
Their screams flushed out the remaining ambushers and had evened the odds. The
Rangers had been hiding in camouflaged holes surrounding the meeting place and
had opened fire as their Blackhawk choppers were landing. Fortunately for Tom,
Sasha had spotted them; and the platoon was already exiting the choppers when
the first rockets hit.

   The first helicopter had been blown to pieces along with
Montoya, one of his original men. But by that time, his troops were out and
they returned fire. Their heavier armor and armament quickly turned the tide in
their favor. The platoon spread out and advanced, firing relentlessly into the
now broken Rangers. His men took some minor wounds, but made short work of the
Rangers. They had killed half of them when the Rangers ran. Without a ride, the
Red Berets had to let them go. The Rangers fled in several SUV technicals they
had stashed nearby.

   Tom examined the bodies of the dead Texans. They were
immediately recognizable as Texas Rangers with their white cowboy hats. All of
the dead men had on light tan dusters over tan BDUs and desert pattern combat
boots. M-16s and M-249 SAWs lay scattered near the bodies. All of them wore
Modular Tactical Vest body armor over their BDUs. It hadn’t done them much good
against the firepower the Red Berets had brought to bear, but there were fewer
casualties than expected. Most of them had fled the engagement when it turned
against them.

   The Rangers had been a law enforcement group prior to the
Collapse. During the Collapse they had taken on a more paramilitary role and
had been upgraded with body armor and heavier weapons. After the formation of
the N.R.T. the Rangers had become the core of their military. They were also
the living embodiment of Texas, a symbol of law and order used to keep the
citizens feeling safe and threaten their enemies. Recruits were usually the
best available and they received excellent training, not just in combat; but in
desert warfare and survival skills. They were worthy foes.

   Tom called for an immediate extraction by helicopter
since he didn’t want to wait around for them to either return with
reinforcements or realize they could rally with the heavy weapons on the
technicals. Two new Blackhawk helicopters retrieved them within minutes and
they returned to friendly territory to figure out their next move. He and
Lieutenant Scott Templeton, his new second in command replacing Rosa, had
searched the few buildings at the meeting place before they withdrew. There had
been no sign the hacker had ever been there.

   At least the new members of the team had acquitted
themselves well. General Ross had given him four new soldiers to replace their
losses and beef up the platoon slightly. Templeton was the most senior of them
in rank and age, at thirty seven. He was rugged, had plenty of experience, and
was the recipient of several medals. Hailing from Indiana, he had joined the
U.S.T.G. from the beginning and had a reputation as a “political officer”. Tom
was fairly sure the man had been added to keep an eye on him.

   In addition to Sasha and the Lieutenant, Sergeant Sancho
Valderra and Private Michaela Roberts had been added to the team. Valderra
hailed from a small town outside Des Moines and was the team’s assigned driver.
He had previously been a fireman and was incredibly cool under pressure. He
also raced cars as a hobby. His only flaw was that he was an adrenaline junkie
and often took unnecessary risks.

   Roberts was an interesting woman. Her father had wanted a
boy, but had gotten her instead. He had spent all his time with her, teaching
her everything a son should know. Before the Collapse that would have gotten
her picked on, but those skills had value in the World After. It didn’t hurt
that she was a big girl at six feet tall and known for her brawling ability.
She was the only Canadian on the team, having been born in Hamilton, Ontario.
She was the team’s mechanic and a very good one.

   On the chopper ride back, Tom had chewed the ears off the
intelligence guys for the failure and near ambush. Losing the two helicopters
wasn’t going to win him any friends or do the U.S.T.G. any favors. They needed
every combat vehicle they could get. Most of the military and civilian
helicopter production had been in Texas or the South. Production in the
U.S.T.G. was increasing, but helicopters were still in short supply.

   Armored vehicles suffered from the same production
problem. The U.S.T.G. controlled the only tank plant in Lima, Ohio; but it was
short on raw materials and electronics. Only a few tanks could be made every
year. The MRAP and Stryker Infantry Combat Vehicle were produced in greater
numbers at the Hamilton, Ontario plant, but it was still limited production.
The U.S.T.G. did have large numbers of armored vehicles from before the
Collapse, but many had been left or lost overseas.

   The intelligence team finally figured out that the
intercept for the meeting had been bogus and that Ducat had sent them into a
trap. They had a new location for him which they assured a dubious Tom was
accurate. This time he played it a little more safe and they approached from
several miles out. Crawling towards the village they were amazed to find a
Chinook transport chopper parked there being guarded by three soldiers in
uniforms without any insignia.

   They wore standard issue digital desert camouflage BDUs
just like the Red Berets, but they carried M4 carbines and had older body
armor. The chopper and the gear indicated military and not merks. But it was
unlikely that a legitimate unit would be without insignia. This was very
curious, where had Ducat gotten such heavy support?

   Something must have alerted them to the Red Berets
presence, because all three suddenly paused and then dropped into cover. He
could see them scanning the surrounding area looking for the threat. The Red
Berets were well camouflaged, so it was unlikely the guards would spot them,
but everyone still froze. The soldiers were well protected by the buildings,
but the chopper was a nice fat target.

   He was about the give the order to take out the chopper
when Tom saw something that nearly made him cry out in surprise. Derek Storm
and his little girlfriend suddenly exited one of the buildings. Gasps from the
others let him know they saw it too. Finally, something was going Tom’s way. He
could kill two birds with one stone. It was almost unbelievable that he would
cross paths with Storm. No one had seen any sign of him for months. Now here he
was at the same place as the hacker, it was unlikely to be a coincidence.

   Seeing Storm, Tom changed his orders. “Saad. Take Storm
out first.”

   “Already on it boss.” His sniper subvocalized back.

   “On my mark, Saad will take out Storm and Valderra will
take out the chopper with a LAW. Zach, you Jamal and Wu focus your fire on the
guards. Keep them pinned down while the rest of us advance. Sasha, see if you can
circle around and sneak up on those unidentified soldiers.”

  The Red Berets all gave him two clicks to let him know
they understood the plan. After a second readying himself, Tom gave the order
and they sprang into action. Saad fired first, followed by the others. The
sniper’s bullet raced towards Storm, and even though he wore body armor it
would not be enough to stop the heavy fifty caliber round. But Storm somehow
managed to dodge the bullet, reacting lightning fast to the flash of gunfire.
Saad tried to track him, but Storm was moving too fast.

   Then Storm did something that caused Tom to drop his jaw
in stupefied amazement. He shot the rocket right out of the air. One second the
LAW rocket was streaking towards the chopper and the next it was detonating
midair. Tom saw Storm pause, aim, and then shoot it down with a single shot.  Then
he was moving again. This guy was ridiculous, how were they supposed to beat
him when he could do stuff like that.

   “Everyone switch your target to Storm, I want him dead!”
Tom ordered angrily.

   The Red Berets responded by sending a hail of withering
fire at their arch nemesis. Storm managed to evade all of it by dashing between
two of the small houses and into the field behind. All of them moved in pursuit
but were forced to take cover under fire from the guards and the girl. The four
of them were moving to the chopper and laying down cover fire so the Chinook
could take off. It had already been spinning up its blades when Storm had
exited the building and now it was ready to take off.

   The chopper lifted up, creating a large dust storm in its
wake. As the escaping Chinook lifted off Tom realized his mistake, he should
have focused on the chopper so they couldn’t escape. The dust and the fire from
the chopper created enough distraction that the helicopter was able to lift off
and start flying away before they could switch their fire. Storm had sacrificed
himself again so his friends could escape. But this time, there was nowhere to
run to. The village was surrounded by open fields and rolling hills. If the
chopper came in the Red Berets would shoot it down.

   Gesturing to his troops he chased after Storm. They
followed behind in a ragged formation, several of them screaming in anger. He
could see Zach ahead of him, the big man running as hard as he could with all
sense of tactics forgotten. He wanted revenge for Rosa and would not be denied
again. Tom tried to reel him in, but the man had lost all control.
Unfortunately it also meant that Zach was in their line of fire. Tom watched as
Storm ran into a barn on the periphery of the village and Zach charged in after
him.

   Tom arrived at the entrance to the barn and paused. He
could hear yelling from inside and sounds of a struggle. He wanted to rush in
to aid Zach, but he needed to make sure that Storm didn’t escape first. The
rest of the troops arrived a few seconds later and Tom started giving orders.

   “Templeton, you are in charge of securing the perimeter.
No one gets out of the barn!” He ordered.

   “Yes sir!” Templeton snapped and began deploying the Red
Berets around the barn.

   “Sasha, you and Jamal are with me. Follow me inside, but
don’t shoot unless I give the order. Let’s go!” Tom continued.

   With that he charged into the barn. It was relatively
dark inside, the only light being provided by the weak sunlight coming in through
the gaps in the roof and walls. In the center of the building, Zach and Storm
were locked in brutal hand to hand combat. Storm was wielding that deadly
machete and Zach was armed with a pitchfork; his heavier M-18M thrown to one
side. Both were bleeding from minor wounds, but it looked like Zach had the
more serious injuries.

   Jamal raised his rifle, but Tom put out a hand to stop
him. “Let Zach have this, don’t rob him of his revenge.”

   He did however hedge his bets by gesturing at Sasha to
move around behind Storm. If Zach failed maybe she could kill Storm before he
could recover from the fight. Tom kept his rifle ready and noticed that Jamal
was also. Both watched the fight anxiously. They knew Storm was a formidable
opponent; but Zach was fearsome in his own right, and he was motivated by
revenge for Rosa.

   Zach was the larger man, but he only had a couple of
inches on Storm. His physique was much larger than the traitor’s, but Storm was
still an impressive specimen; especially considering he was around twenty years
older. Zach had been lifting and training extensively since the battle in the
Everglades. He was determined to get his revenge on Storm when the time came.
The space station had proved unsatisfying as Storm had eluded them again.

   The two men circled each other striking and parrying with
their weapons. Sparks flew as the metal tines of the pitchfork collided with
the carbide steel blade of Storm’s machete. The combatants were almost a blur
as they moved and struck at a blinding speed. Tom could tell Zach was at the
limit of his abilities and he had the less versatile weapon. Sweat poured off
of his large, muscular body as they battled. At some point he had removed his
armor to provide more range of movement, but he had sacrificed the protection
it offered.

  Zach blocked an overhand strike from Storm with the handle
of the pitchfork; but Storm’s blade smashed through it, narrowly missing Zach’s
face as he dodged back. He flung the broken handle aside and wielded the
pitchfork with one hand like a mace. Screaming in anger; Zach swung wildly at
his opponent, driving Storm back. Then he snapped a front kick out that caught
the traitor square in the chest. The kick would have killed a weaker man, but
Storm merely staggered back a few feet.

   Zach bull rushed him and tried to impale his enemy on the
tines of the pitchfork. Storm caught Zach by the wrist and pushed the attack
aside. Then he swung his machete in an attempt to cut off the big man’s arm,
but Zach caught his blow as well. They struggled for a moment and then stood
face to face straining against each other for an advantage. Zach was the bigger
man and should have had the upper hand, but amazingly Storm was forcing him
back.