Resistance_ The Gathering Storm Part 24

"He stumbled across a road, followed it to a house, and hot-wired a pickup," Blake said admiringly. "And there he was, racing south, when a VTOL crew spotted him."

"Nice work," Hale said sincerely. "Did anyone else make it out?"

"A few did," Burl answered soberly, as he looked down at his hands. "But there's no way to know if any of them are still alive. Hundreds of people are still in the pit."

"Yes," Dentweiler said, as he spoke for the first time, "and one of them is ex-Secretary of War Walker."

Hale's eyebrows rose.

"Really? The man we've been looking for?"

"Exactly," Dentweiler replied grimly. "It seems the stinks grabbed the b.a.s.t.a.r.d while he and his wife were on their way to Chicago. All we have to do is pick him up."

Burl felt a sense of forboding. He'd been too trusting. That was apparent now. But his intentions had been good.

Almost from the moment the VTOL picked him up, Burl had been telling anyone who would listen that Walker was being held prisoner, in hopes that authorities would want to rescue the Secretary of War-and therefore all of the poor souls in the stink hole.

He hadn't mentioned the tapes, however, and wasn't going to-not until he had to. He cleared his throat. "Yes, well, you might want to remember that the stinks take people away every few days. So Walker could be dead by now."

"We need to know," Dentweiler put in vehemently, his eyes hard. "The man's a traitor!" He turned to the Sentinel. "I want you to go in and get him. More importantly, the President President wants you to go in and get him." wants you to go in and get him."

"And the other prisoners?" Hale wanted to know.

"We'll bring them out, too," Blake responded hurriedly, as if fearful that Dentweiler would give some other instruction. "But it's got to be fast ... So the Chimera won't have time to counterattack. Otherwise we could wind up having to rescue the rescuers."

Hale nodded. "Understood. How large a force can I have?"

The question was directed to Major Blake, but Dentweiler chose to answer for him.

"You can have anything you want," the Chief of Staff said flatly.

Major Blake frowned but remained silent.

"And one more thing," Dentweiler added, his eyes on Hale. "The thing with your sister ... Good work. We kept your name out of the press-we had to, given the fact that you're officially dead-but the President is grateful. He'd like to thank you personally once this mission is over. And with Major Blake's permission, we're going to add a contingent of Sentinels to the President's security team, and put you in command of them."

There had been a time, only days earlier, when Hale would have been proud to play such a role. Now, after seeing how much Susan had been willing to sacrifice in order to remove Grace from office, he wasn't so sure.

But Hale was a soldier-and gave the only reply he could. "Yes, sir. I'll do my best."

The sun had just risen, and was a dimly seen presence off to the east, as the six VTOLs came in from the west. Though not especially fast under even the best conditions, these aircraft were especially slow because of the vehicle that dangled beneath each s.h.i.+p. And, as the wintry landscape seemed to creep past below, the officer in command of the mission was busy questioning his own logic.

Hale was in the lead VTOL, crouched between his old friend Purvis and the Party Girl's Party Girl's copilot, the three of them eyeing the terrain ahead. It was flat farm country for the most part, much of which had been ravaged by the war, but some of the farmhouses, barns, and silos appeared to be intact under layers of gauzy snow. copilot, the three of them eyeing the terrain ahead. It was flat farm country for the most part, much of which had been ravaged by the war, but some of the farmhouses, barns, and silos appeared to be intact under layers of gauzy snow.

Strike Force Zebra had been spotted by that time, Hale felt certain of that, so it was safe to a.s.sume that the stinks were organizing a response. And that was where the speed versus throw weight calculation came into play. By choosing to bring two M-12 tanks, plus four LU-P Lynx All-Purpose Vehicles along with his troops, Hale was betting that no matter how how quickly they arrived the team might have to cope with a major counterattack. If so both he and the rest of the Sentinels would be glad to have some heavy weapons on their side. quickly they arrived the team might have to cope with a major counterattack. If so both he and the rest of the Sentinels would be glad to have some heavy weapons on their side.

Of course the flip side was that Blake fully expected Hale to bring the vehicles out, which would entail time spent rigging lift harnesses, and a slower exit from Chimera-held territory. It was important materiel, and Hale was extremely conscious of his responsibilities. Purvis spoke over the intercom, breaking into his thoughts.

"We're five out. Prepare to deploy all vehicles-and get ready to hit the dirt. Welcome to Wisconsin, gentlemen."

As Hale rose, Purvis turned his way. He flipped the intercom off so only Hale and the copilot could hear him. "Watch your six, Hale," Purvis said, "so we can come in and save it again."

Hale grinned, shot the other officer a one-finger salute, and went back into the cargo area.

In addition to carrying a vehicle, each VTOL was loaded with twelve men, for a total of seventy-two soldiers counting Hale himself. It was an unusually large command for a second lieutenant, especially since more than half the troops were Sentinels, each of whom was judged to be worth three Rangers due to their quickness and ability to recover from wounds.

But given Hale's combat record, and his familiarity with the Henry Walker mission, Blake had been willing to put him in charge, with Kawecki acting as platoon sergeant. Now, as Hale took his seat, he knew all the men were watching him closely. "Remember," he said as he looked around, "I hate paperwork ... So don't get killed."

That produced some guffaws, and served to take the edge off as the Party Girl's Party Girl's door gunners began to clear the landing zone of stinks. Then, as all forward motion stopped, the crew chief pulled a lever and Hale felt the s.h.i.+p rise suddenly as the tank dangling under the VTOL's belly hit the ground. door gunners began to clear the landing zone of stinks. Then, as all forward motion stopped, the crew chief pulled a lever and Hale felt the s.h.i.+p rise suddenly as the tank dangling under the VTOL's belly hit the ground.

Having released the extra load, Purvis put the Party Party Girl Girl down about fifty feet away from the M-12, ordered the crew chief to deploy the ramp, and cut power. A lot of fuel had been consumed on the trip out, and he wanted to conserve as much of it as he could. The engines were still spooling down as Hale led his men out onto the flat area that surrounded the mine. down about fifty feet away from the M-12, ordered the crew chief to deploy the ramp, and cut power. A lot of fuel had been consumed on the trip out, and he wanted to conserve as much of it as he could. The engines were still spooling down as Hale led his men out onto the flat area that surrounded the mine.

Two of the soldiers ran over to the tank, while the rest followed Hale toward the point where one of the enemy's automatic mortars was dropping sh.e.l.l after sh.e.l.l into the crater below. Gouts of mixed mud and snow rose into the air as explosions marched across the pit and the defenseless prisoners ran every which way, searching for a place to hide.

"Shut that weapon down!" Hale ordered. "Then turn it around. If the stinks counterattack, we'll use it against them."

It took the better part of five minutes to kill the Hybrids who were guarding the emplacement and take possession of the mortar. Once that was done, Hale left a team of three men to redeploy the weapon while he turned his attention to what was happening elsewhere. And there were lots of things to worry about, something Blake had warned him about earlier.

"You're used to leading small groups," the older officer had cautioned. "This mission will be different. It'll have a lot of moving parts-not the least of which will be Mr. Dentweiler. The trick is to avoid being pulled down into the tactical stuff, and keep your eye on the big picture."

That prediction was already proving true. The rest of the strike force was on the ground by then, and a number of brisk firefights had begun as various squads began to tackle the objectives they had been given. But rather than try to micromanage those conflicts, Hale knew it was his responsibility to focus on the main objective, as two of the group's All-Purpose Vehicles came roaring up to stop a few feet away.

The first Lynx was a.s.signed to Hale, and the second was reserved for Dentweiler and Burl, both of whom wore Ranger uniforms minus insignia, and carried pistols.

Hale had argued against bringing the civilians along, but without success, or much sympathy from his commanding officer.

"You want tanks?" Blake had inquired rhetorically. "Well, you got em ... Along with the guy who wrote you the blank check. Enjoy."

"Come on!" Dentweiler shouted as he stood upright in the Lynx. "Let's get down into that pit and find Walker!"

Burl, who was seated in the rear next to the machine gunner, looked worried. Hale wondered what the man was thinking. Here he was, returning to his own personal h.e.l.l only days after escaping it.

Hale lifted a hand by way of an acknowledgment as he climbed in next to the driver. He was armed with a HE .44 Magnum and a Bellock Automatic. Both weapons had been chosen for close-in work if it came to that.

"Okay," Hale said to the driver, "take us past those buildings and down into the pit."

The engine roared, wheels spun, and slush flew sideways as the Lynx took off, closely followed by the second unit. Hale barely had time to look at the yawning crater off to the left and marvel at how large it was before a couple of Howlers came bounding out of cover and the .50 caliber machine gun began to chug.

Both Chimera were knocked off their feet, and the vehicle b.u.mped over one of them, forcing Hale to hang on for dear life as the four-by-four skidded sideways and a dozen Hybrids poured out of the buildings ahead. They opened fire with Bullseyes, and as the gunner brought the .50 to bear, Hale triggered the Bellock. The combination proved deadly as half a dozen stinks went down.

The driver straightened the vehicle out, just in time for the second Lynx to hose the Chimera down as it followed along behind. Then the battle was over as both vehicles followed the circular road downward. They were about halfway to the bottom when the gunner shouted, "Drones at ten o'clock!" and began to fire.

Hale looked up to see that a swarm of the flying machines had been dispatched to intercept the incoming vehicles. So he fired the Bellock, and had the satisfaction of seeing one of the drones vanish with a loud bang bang. An instant later the gunner scored two kills of his own. "Yee-haw!" the Sentinel shouted as he smoked a third machine. "Eat lead, a.s.sholes!"

Then they were past the drones, leaving the second Lynx to fire on the surviving machines, as they made one last circle of the pit and came to a smooth stop next to the half-frozen lake. Within a matter of seconds a flood of raggedy prisoners surged out of their various hiding places, all yelling excitedly as some tried to jump aboard the vehicles.

That was when Burl stood up and shouted at the crowd: "Back off!" Burl got nearly instant obedience as members of the Fair and Square Squad recognized their leader and hurried to provide him with backup. Hale was suddenly grateful for the civilian's presence as he gave orders for the prisoners to form a column of twos and prepare to march up out of the pit as fast as they could.

Meanwhile, having exited the second Lynx, Dentweiler was shouldering his way through the crowd while holding up an 8 X X 10 glossy of Henry Walker for everyone to see. "Have you seen this man?" Dentweiler demanded loudly. "If so, where is he?" 10 glossy of Henry Walker for everyone to see. "Have you seen this man?" Dentweiler demanded loudly. "If so, where is he?"

There were lots of garbled replies as Burl left the organizing task to the members of the Fair and Square Squad and hurried over to the spot where the Walkers liked to eat their meals. The carefully wrapped recorder and the recordings had been hidden there, in a crevice between two large rocks.

But they were gone.

Burl was disappointed, and started scanning the crowd for Walker, when one of his buddies hurried over. "Harley, you crazy sonofab.i.t.c.h! You made it! And you came back ... Never mind that serving of glop you owe me. We're square."

Burl grinned. "Good. I was going to mention it if you hadn't." Then he resumed his search, and said, "Where's Walker? I don't see him anywhere."

"They took him," the man announced sadly. "Yesterday morning, along with twenty-three others. He'd been here a long time, Harley, you know that, and the poor b.a.s.t.a.r.d's luck ran out."

"d.a.m.n it," Burl said disgustedly. "Twenty-four hours. The difference between life and death. Do me a favor would you? Help the squad get everybody ready to go. I've got to speak with Lieutenant Hale."

The Sentinel was standing next to his Lynx, listening to the latest in a series of sit reps from the noncoms up on the rim, when Burl materialized out of the crowd.

"Thanks for the help," Hale said, as he eyed the area around him. "What's up?"

"It's Walker," Burl replied soberly. "I know what happened to him."

Hale's eyes came around to meet Burl's.

"Yeah? Where is he?"

"He's almost certainly dead," Burl answered. "But we need to find his body. He was carrying audio recordings of President Grace laying plans to open negotiations with the stinks. Can you believe that s.h.i.+t? I didn't, until he let me listen to some of them. That's why Henry and his wife were headed for Chicago ... They were going to give the tapes to the Freedom First people, except the Chimera grabbed them the same day the b.a.s.t.a.r.ds got me."

It took a moment for Hale to absorb the full gravity of what he'd been told. But once he had a chance to think about it, everything fell into place. Walker's decision to quit his job, the desperate attempt to reach Chicago, and Dentweiler's overriding desire to locate the ex-Secretary of War. That, coupled with Susan's parting words, helped Hale make up his mind. "So you think the recordings would be on Walker's body?"

Burl looked relieved. "Yes. They aren't where he normally kept them-so I feel certain he took them."

"Up to the Processing Center?"

"Yeah," Burl answered. "We didn't know what it was ... but yes."

"Okay," Hale said thoughtfully. "I'll see what I can do. But keep it to yourself. Understood?"

Burl looked grateful as Dentweiler arrived. "Yes," he said. "Understood."

"The b.a.s.t.a.r.d is dead!" Dentweiler reported triumphantly as he took his place in the second Lynx. "Come on ... Let's get the h.e.l.l out of here."

Hale was about to reply when Kawecki's voice came in over his headset.

"Echo-Five to Echo-Six ... We have trouble, sir. Two Stalkers and a Goliath are approaching from the east. There's plenty of ground troops, too. Maybe two hundred or so."

Hale swore silently. No matter what he did there wouldn't be enough time to load the prisoners and pull out without a fight. Never mind the Walker problem.

"This is Echo-Six ... Establish an observation post out to the west and tell them to keep a sharp eye out. Once we pivot to the east, we don't want anyone sneaking in behind us. Put everything else in front of those buildings. We'll use them for cover and try to defend them. And don't forget those mortars. Put em to work. I'll be up in five minutes. Over."

Once again Hale was reminded of the complexities a.s.sociated with a larger command as he thought about the Stalkers, the Goliath, the people lined up at the foot of the road, and the vulnerable VTOLs parked on the ground above. Time was everything, and there wasn't enough of it.

The Chimeran armor would be within striking distance by the time the prisoners made it up to the top of the crater.

Such were Hale's thoughts as Dentweiler yelled at him from the second Lynx. "What are we waiting for, Lieutenant? We have what we came for ... I need to get back to Denver."

Hale glanced up at the gunner who was standing in the back of his Lynx. Pointing at the Chief of Staff, he spoke forcefully. "See the man over there? If he speaks without my permission blow his head off."

"Yes, sir!" the gunner said without hesitation, and he swiveled the big .50 around so that it was aimed at Dentweiler's skull. That caused the gunner standing behind behind the Chief of Staff to swear and jump to the ground. For his part Dentweiler turned pale and slid down into the pa.s.senger seat like a deflated balloon. the Chief of Staff to swear and jump to the ground. For his part Dentweiler turned pale and slid down into the pa.s.senger seat like a deflated balloon.

Having bought himself a moment in which to think, Hale turned to Burl. "Things have changed ... Tell the prisoners to line up in alphabetical order. Then break them into thirty-person groups. There isn't much s.p.a.ce next to the lake, so the VTOLs will have to land one at a time. Load em as fast as you can. Understand?"

Burl nodded grimly. "And the recordings? You'll look for them?"

"If I can," Hale promised. "But the prisoners and my troops come first."

"Thank you," Burl said sincerely. "Thank you very much."

"Time to go topside," Hale said as he took his seat in the Lynx. The driver put his foot down, the vehicle sped upslope, and Hale issued orders to Purvis. "Echo-Six to Bravo-One. The stinks are closing from the east. You'll have to land in the pit in order to load pa.s.sengers. But there's only room for one bird at a time. Copy? Over."

"This is Bravo-One," Purvis replied. "I copy. How many pa.s.sengers? Over."

"About a hundred and fifty, give or take," Hale replied. "Over."

"That won't leave room for all of your troops," Purvis objected. "Over."

"Roger that," Hale replied stoically. "So don't stop for a beer on your way back ... We might not be here if you do. Echo-Six out."

The first VTOL was already in the air and in the process of lowering itself into the crater, when the two four-by-fours emerged from the pit and skidded to a stop. Hale was the first one out and immediately pointed a finger at Dentweiler. "If you want to live, keep your mouth shut and stay with me."

Then, turning to the drivers, he gave them fresh orders. "Head east, find those Stalkers, and take em down. The tanks will tackle the Goliath."

Both drivers nodded, and as Dentweiler's boots. .h.i.t the ground they roared away. The battle began as the Chimera sent salvo after salvo of high explosives arcing down on the cl.u.s.ter of buildings-and the humans answered with cannon fire from the M-12 tanks and hit-and-run attacks from the speedy All-Purpose Vehicles.

Thunder rolled as Hale and Dentweiler arrived on the east side of the big barnlike maintenance shed, and took cover in the grease pit Kawecki was using as a command bunker. Hale's first task was to get a grasp on the overall situation and a.s.sume command.

By parking a grader over the concrete pit, one of Kawecki's men effectively put a partial roof over the bunker and Hale could hear the steady ping, ping, ping ping, ping, ping of nearly spent projectiles. .h.i.tting the machine as he brought his binoculars up and began a quick left-to-right scan of the battlefield in front of him. of nearly spent projectiles. .h.i.tting the machine as he brought his binoculars up and began a quick left-to-right scan of the battlefield in front of him.

The tanks were about a hundred feet apart and hull down behind piles of mine tailings. The mounds of dirt offered excellent cover as Chimeran missiles probed the area around them. Farther out, beyond the fall of mortar rounds, one of the Stalkers was out of action and on fire as three battle-scarred Lynxes harried the second machine. But killing the last Stalker wasn't going to be easy. Each time one of the four-by-fours took a run at the Chimeran tank it was necessary to deal with dozens of Hybrids before they could get in close enough.

The fourth Lynx was little more than a burned-out carca.s.s that lay farther out and marked the point where its battle had been fought ten minutes earlier. The vehicle's driver or gunner, it was impossible to tell which, had taken cover behind the wreck and was firing his M5A2 carbine at the oncoming Goliath.