Extensis Vitae: Empire of Dust Page 20

  “You definitely want to take that one,” Marcus said. “That packs the stopping power you’ll need.”

  Reznik removed the railgun from the locker and a couple magazines. The futuristic gun was made of a surprisingly light alloy. Its molded grip and stock felt comfortable when he held it to his shoulder.

  “Oh yeah. This should work,” he said with a grin.

  Chapter 26

  Mason planted his feet and trained his weapon on the nearest SUV. An unmanned heavy machine gun was on the roof, picking targets at random. He focused his fire at the gun turret. The machine gun’s ammo started exploding as the laser bolts pierced the ammo canister, causing an explosion to rock the SUV. The gun melted to slag under his focused fire. The vehicle’s tires spun wildly before gaining traction, and it surged away from his assault. He adjusted his aim, and his concentrated blasts penetrated the passenger compartment. The SUV spun out and crashed into the wall of the armory, out of commission.

  Major Kimura’s voice came over the open Datalink channel. “Strike fighters, target the armor units and mounted forces pressing the forward lines.” He rattled off some coordinates. The rest of the orders were lost in the thunder of the CorpSec tank firing another shell.

  Aircraft engines shrieked overhead, and then explosions bloomed like carefully coordinated fireworks across the battlefield. Missiles slammed into the armed SUVs, sending them several meters into the air in the resulting explosions. A railgun blast from one of the assault aircraft hit the assault tank, rocking it as its armored sides bulged outward. The top hatch blew open, and smoke poured from the hatch and the turret.

  Mason was searching for his next target when the ground erupted in front of him. He ran for cover, but a round struck his meat arm, sending him spinning and falling awkwardly.

  He lay on his back in a pain-filled haze. His arm throbbed in agony, and he realized he couldn’t feel his hand; when he tried to move it, nothing happened. A quick glance revealed his arm below his bicep was hanging by a strip of sinew. An alarming amount of blood pooled beneath him. “Fuck…”

  Falling back limply to the ground, he marveled at the savage beauty of oil-fueled flames and energy bolts and tracer fire streaking in the darkness. The wet, muddy ground sapped the warmth from his body, but at least the drizzle had stopped momentarily.

  “Mason!”

  He looked up to see Keeva, Mack, and Ciera kneeling over him.

  “I’m done for. Leave me.” He groaned in pain.

  “We’ve got to throw a tourniquet on, or he won’t make it,” Mack said grimly.

  Ciera removed her belt and strapped it onto Mason’s arm as Keeva dug out some nano-styptic.

  “Save it for someone else.”

  “Bullshit. You’re going to pull through, you tough old bastard,” Keeva snapped. “We’ll probably have to get you a matching cyber arm, but that’s nothing new, right?”

  Mason shrugged. He was dimly aware of Mack and Ciera working on his arm. Keeva peered at his face. “Have you seen Father and his men? I lost them just before the most recent airstrike.”

  “He… he didn’t make it. I’m sorry.” Mason could only shake his head, not knowing how to comfort the woman. He hadn’t let himself grow attachments for so long that the human interaction felt foreign to him.

  Keeva squeezed her eyes shut, taking a deep breath as she fought to keep her emotions in check. Her tears fell on Mason’s face, their warmth a stark contrast to the numbness enveloping most of his body.

  Ciera put her arms around Keeva and hugged her. Keeva leaned into her, covering her face and shaking silently for a few moments.

  Mason had never felt so useless before. He didn’t know how to comfort the young woman.

  “I think he’s going to survive if he stays out of the fight,” Mack pronounced after a few minutes. “The arm will have to come off eventually, but he should be good to go for now.”

  Mason’s arm was thickly bandaged, and he could dimly feel the tingling as nanites sealed off the blood vessels around the grievous wound. Mack immobilized it in a sling.

  Keeva opened her eyes and studied Mason for a moment. Her face was pale—she looked as if the spark of life had gone out of her.

  “Hey.” Mason gently gripped her hand with his cybernetic one. “Your father gave his life for the cause he believed in—he made us all proud today. But his very last thought was for you, Keeva.” Mason was aware of the rebels all listening intently. “He’s been grooming you for this your whole life—it’s your time to step into his shoes and take charge. Take care of your soldiers, and let’s see this through.”

  More tears leaked from Keeva’s eyes, but she smiled sadly, and some color seemed to return to her face. She squeezed back on Mason’s metal hand.

  “Thank you. I’m glad you are on our side.” She realized everyone was waiting on her. “Let’s get Mason to some cover and regroup.”

  ***

  Marcus and Ayane stood hand in hand watching the Shiru drop ship settle down gently in the open field just above the beach. The ship was going to take Ayane away to safety while Marcus accompanied the others to Thorne headquarters to ensure the operation was completed. Normally, sensors would direct the prison’s autocannons to mow down any unidentified personnel and aircraft not complying with regulations and entering the restricted area around the prison, but Reznik’s crew had seen to it that they were destroyed.

  “Promise me you won’t take any unnecessary risks, will you?” Ayane’s brown eyes were full of worry as she studied Marcus’s battered face. “Now that we have the chance to see each other freely, don’t you dare get hurt any worse or killed on me!”

  Marcus kissed her before she could say any more. Her arms encircled him, and she held him fiercely.

  “Don’t you worry about me. I need to see this through, and then we’ll have all the time in the world. It’s not like I’ll still have a job to go back to, right?” He chuckled, holding her at arm’s length as he took a mental picture of her. I don’t want to forget how she looks right now. She looked beautiful—her long, dark hair stirred by the warm wash of the ship’s thrusters, determination on her face.

  Ayane touched his face and smiled. “I’ll see you soon, then.”

  They kissed one last time before her hand slipped out of his and she walked up the ramp of the drop ship. He knew he was grinning like a fool but couldn’t help himself. Although they weren’t nearly out of the woods yet, just seeing her safe was enough to reinvigorate his morale.

  Outside the prison entrance a couple hundred yards away, Reznik, Rin, and the rest of the team milled around, having held back to give them some privacy.

  The pilot called back to Ayane in Japanese, and she quickly buckled into the seat against the bulkhead. She waved at Marcus and blew him a kiss before the hatch closed.

  Marcus stepped away as the thrusters roared and the ship lifted into the air. It angled its nose toward the bay and gained altitude. Once it was a hundred feet in the air, the thrusters began to rotate to provide forward thrust.

  A commotion broke out in the distance, but Marcus barely heard it. His attention was focused on the ship flying away.

  ***

  Reznik watched the two lovebirds say their goodbyes down by the shoreline. They had all regrouped and made it out of the prison without any further difficulty. Rin had radioed the pilot, and he had set down next to the water.

  He wondered how the assault was progressing at the main compound. They had heard the rumblings of distant explosions and seen the glow on the horizon from what he assumed were the barracks in flames.

  A quick examination by a Yakuza medic had revealed Marcus suffered from numerous contusions, bumps, and bruises. His left hand had a broken little finger and two dislocated ones. He had put a splint on the broken finger and popped the others back into place. The bleeding sockets in his gums would have to wait to be treated—gauze stanched the bleeding for the time.

  During the delay, Marcus had called someone nam
ed Ram to execute his plan, as well as notifying his bodyguards they needed a ride to the HQ building. Reznik figured it wouldn’t hurt to travel in style for a brief time, and an armored limo would be the way to go.

  [B*#%^ #*%%!@ CA$#&**D=#~!] The gibberish message suddenly popped up on Reznik’s HUD.

  “What the hell?” He noticed Rin frowning as she apparently received the same message. “Ichiro, is that you? Your message was gibberish… retransmit, over?”

  Seconds ticked by, and the drop ship lifted off, Ayane aboard. Marcus shielded his face from the thruster wash as it moved out over the bay.

  Reznik exchanged glances with Rin. He shrugged. “Don’t know what the hell that was.”

  [DefenseNet back online! Evacuate the area immediately! 8#$@*H*^@!] The rest of the message degenerated into more gibberish. Ichiro apparently had a fight on his hands.

  “Oh, shit. Marcus!” Reznik yelled just as the first explosion rumbled in the distance. Rin frantically attempted to call the pilot and have him set back down.

  ***

  Someone was yelling Marcus’s name. He glanced over his shoulder and saw Reznik yelling and waving his arms. Rin looked concerned as well, and she appeared to be trying frantically to get through to someone on her Datalink.

  Marcus felt the bottom of his stomach fall out. Shit, something is wrong. Then he heard a distant explosion. Another followed and another quickly after.

  “What the hell?” He watched in horror as the drop ship pushed out over the bay. A sharp crack like lightning sounded, preceding more explosions. He jumped from a booming CRAAAACK somewhere nearby. The drop ship’s right thruster exploded in the night, sending the craft veering to the side. Almost instantly, another crack sounded, and the rear of the ship blew apart. It spun in a circle, smoke billowing, and fell into the bay.

  “Nooo!” Marcus was racing into the choppy, dark waters before he knew what he was doing. He dove into the water and swam hard toward the wreck sinking below the waves a hundred feet away. The cold water shocked him awake, but he knew it would sap his energy after a few minutes. His injuries were forgotten, his only thought for Ayane in the sinking ship. It seemed as though he was at the wreckage within seconds just as the top edge sank underwater.

  Marcus took a deep breath and dove under, feeling along the metal wing, pulling himself along with just the faint running lights of the ship to guide him. He swam alongside the fuselage until he came to the ragged tear where the tail section had been blown off.

  Slipping inside the aircraft, Marcus realized he was probably going to run out of oxygen. The hell with it—as long as I can save her.

  Emergency lighting illuminated the cabin. The roof was crumpled in, and Ayane looked to be unconscious, still strapped into her seat. A metal beam had torn loose and fallen across her row of seats. Marcus floundered along the ceiling and managed to find an air pocket. He took a deep breath and plunged back underwater, swimming to Ayane and unbuckling her harness. He tried to tug her free from the beam, but with the bulk of her exoskeleton, it held her pinned. Marcus fought to lift the beam, kicking wildly and burning through his oxygen quickly. He managed to shift it, and Ayane started to slip free. With one last heave, he shoved the beam aside. He started to get tunnel vision from oxygen deprivation.

  Marcus found the diminishing air pocket once again and sucked in another lungful. He looked down just in time to see Ayane sliding out the open tail section, sinking like a stone, head lolled back. Marcus cursed to himself and desperately dove after her. He reached her after a few yards and grasped her cold arm. He kicked for the surface, but he could barely lift the two of them. His brief spark of energy was flagging quickly as the cold water sapped his strength. The dead weight of the exoskeleton was pulling on her like an anchor.

  Need to disengage it or we won’t make it.

  He hugged her against his body and fought to find the release for the device but couldn’t see in the darkness. His wounded hand was clumsy, and his fingers were going numb. He kicked for the surface in desperation, but he was nearly out of air again. Fighting down his panic, he strove to free her one last time from the exoskeleton, but his numb fingers fumbled fruitlessly against the metal as he burned the last of his oxygen.

  Shadows closed in around Marcus. Ayane slipped from his weakened grasp and sank toward the bottom of the bay, limp as a doll. His chest burned, and he involuntarily took a breath. The cold, polluted water of the bay filled his lungs.

  Chapter 27

  Major Kimura’s voice came over the Datalink channel, calling in more coordinates for airstrikes, but Mason barely paid attention. He sucked the last drops from an energy-drink packet. After a stim injection, which consisted of a cocktail of pain killers and stimulants, he felt as though he could go a few more rounds. His wounded arm had become just a numb weight pulling at his shoulder.

  Sporadic gunfire sounded in the distance. The squad sat behind the outbuilding, taking a moment to tend wounds and reload weapons as they planned their next move. Turner apparently hadn’t made it—the group was down to just Keeva, Ciera, Mack, and Junior.

  Mason wondered if the other group had been successful in freeing Marcus from prison. After having nearly bled out in the mud, he badly wanted to see his son at least one last time. In a few moments, they would press the assault, converging on the main cluster of buildings, including Thorne headquarters, which would likely be even more heavily defended. Reports he had been hearing had indicated the barracks had been destroyed, but he wondered how many troops had already been on site.

  A deafening CRAAACK sounded nearby, as if from a lightning strike, which nearly made Mason jump out of his skin. Kimura’s voice cut off, turning to static, and a moment later, an explosion rumbled in the distance. Mason’s eyes were slowly drawn to the towering railgun battery atop its tower over the campus. The massive gun was now active—it tracked and fired again, and another explosion lit up the night sky.

  A panicked voice shouted over the Datalink, “…DefenseNet back online! All units pull back until we get new orders, repeat all units—” Another explosion rocked the sky nearby.

  Mason could hear more railgun strikes and explosions in the distance. “Shit, we’ve got to take out those batteries.”

  The rebels huddled against the building, out of line of sight of the railgun battery. “Junior, can you do anything?” Keeva asked.

  The young man shook his head, face pale. “That’s beyond my skill.”

  “All right. Everyone stay here. Let’s see if Kimura can come up with a solution.”

  Kimura’s likely dead. We’re on our own now. Mason didn’t voice his thoughts aloud as more gunfire erupted nearby. He looked around the corner and spotted a Shiru skin aiming an assault rifle, trying to disable the railgun. He knew small arms wouldn’t be effective at such a range. We need to hit it with something heavy.

  Another skin fired a rocket launcher at the railgun. The cannon swiveled and fired instantly, blowing the rocket out of the air. It fired again, turning the skin with the launcher to pulp. It swiveled slightly and fired again, eliminating the other Shiru soldier as well, blasting deep craters in the soggy ground.

  “Oh my God. What do we do now?” someone asked. “There’s no way we can even get near that thing!”

  Mason thought about his gatling laser. The range would be fine, but he wouldn’t live long enough to get off enough shots to disable the battery. He pulled up a targeting overlay on his HUD and scanned the scene. The railgun spun the opposite direction and fired on someone else. Its range and targeting software allowed it to strike anywhere in its line of sight within the campus. But, if I can get in close enough, there’s a fifty-yard-radius blind spot where the batteries can’t fire directly down. That leaves about a hundred fifty yards of open killing field between here and the safe zone.

  “We have to hope they can get that defense grid down again,” Keeva said in response to the question.

  “We don’t have time to sit here and wait,” Mason said.
“They could already have reinforcements piling onto hypersonic craft from outposts throughout New USA that can be here in a matter of minutes. If that railgun stays up, then they could drop a whole army in here from other continents in a matter of a couple hours.” His mind raced as he tried to think of a solution.

  The group sat shocked as Mason’s observation struck home. “We’re fucking doomed then,” one of the fighters from Royce’s group muttered.

  “We’ve gotta retreat… we don’t have anything heavy enough to take it out,” another rebel replied.

  “It will probably toast us if we try to retreat!” the first fighter exclaimed.

  Mason ignored them. A disabled vehicle sat nearby. That gave him an idea—probably a very bad one, but an idea nonetheless. Tactical situations like this were things he understood—he wouldn’t feel like a useless asshole, as he had breaking the bad news to Keeva of her father’s death. And he could still keep his word to Royce and give the others a fighting chance.

  He shouldered his grenade launcher. The gatling laser would have to stay; it would weigh him down too much; he likely wouldn’t make it ten yards with the heavy weapon. He pulled a bandolier of explosive charges from his pack and slung it over his chest.

  “What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Keeva scowled at him. “You’re in no condition…”

  “If I don’t make it back, tell Marcus what his old man did, will you? Let him know I wasn’t completely without any redeeming qualities.”

  “Mason, no! You tell him yourself!” Keeva slammed the heel of her palm into his chest and got up in his face.

  He could tell, behind her anger, she was afraid and barely holding it together. “You’ll be fine without me,” he said gently. “You’ve got your father’s toughness and smarts. Your people need you to be strong for them.” He looked over the squad. “It’s been a pleasure fighting beside you all, but this is the stop where I get off.” He saw them start to protest, but he waved his hand, forestalling them. “You all knew this when I signed up. Royce warned you all that I’m a selfish bastard with my own agenda, right?” He knew from the ashamed looks that it was true. “This is the only way. Make sure you give them hell for me.”