Wasteland Rules: Born to Fight (The World After Book 2) (12 page)

    The remains of ruined houses lay on their right
and more industrial buildings to their left. Derek saw movement amongst the
houses, but didn’t mention it to the others. It was likely Drinkers, but since
they couldn’t swim as far as he knew, he wasn’t that worried and there was no
need to alarm the others. He was more worried about the searchlights that had
begun to appear. Helicopters had joined the hunt for them and were slowly
sweeping back and forth across the city. He pulled the boat under the shelter
of a small bridge and they waited silently as the helicopter passed by.

    The channel opened up as they passed through the
ruins of what must have been a flood control station. The hurricane and
flooding must have overwhelmed it and when it broke the resulting rush of water
had torn the structure apart. It looked like a straight shot out into the
former lake but Derek resisted gunning the motor. There was no point in drawing
any attention, Rule #19. It seemed like forever, but the finally were out onto
the open waters of the lake turned bay and everyone released the breath they
didn’t realize they had been holding.

   Derek risked the noise and picked up some speed
as they turned and headed towards where the Gulf would be. They passed under
the Interstate and he could see that the way was open into the Gulf. He
throttled the engine all the way up and they raced across the flooded spits of land
and out into the Gulf. He kept the throttle open until he was sure they had
evaded all pursuit and then slowed the boat to a steady cruising speed. They
still had to avoid U.S.T.G. patrols out of Pensacola.

   “That was exciting…”The woman suddenly exclaimed.

   “And terrifying.” The man added. “How do you
handle it being like this all the time?”

   Derek shrugged. “I enjoy it, it makes me feel
alive.”

   “Adrenaline junkie.” Rora joked.

   “Seriously. If this is what it is always like out
here, how have you survived?” The man pressed.

   Rora beat him to the punch. “You follow the
Rules.”

June 20, 2029

Flamingo Marina, Everglades National Park

   The trip back to the former Everglades Visitor
Center was filled by Derek explaining the rules to a skeptical couple. But when
Rora began to provide the examples from their recent journey, they became more
and more convinced. By the time they reached the marina in the Everglades, the
couple was sold on them. Derek even gave them the extra rifles and pistols they
had collected from the Order guards. He genuinely liked this couple and hoped
they could survive long enough to get to their family in Houston.

    As they approached the dock, he could see
Mario’s large motorboat docked there. It was cloudy day, but it had gotten
bright enough for Derek to get a good view of the entire area as they slowly
motored in. Several guards were roaming the marina and kept them under careful
watch as they approached. Derek could see Mario standing there with two men and
a woman, whom he assumed to be the NASA scientists. They were not cuffed or
secured in any way, but they were being guarded by two more of Mario’s men. He
and Mario were old friends and they had a deal sealed with blood, but he didn’t
want to take any chances.

   Derek keyed the phone. “Hey, I need a favor.”

   The Voice popped on almost immediately. “What do
you need Major?”

   “Can you scan the surrounding area to see if
anyone else is around?”

   “Give me a minute…” The Voice replied. “I don’t
see anything and the other boat arrived alone.”

   “Thanks.”

   “Any time, Major.”

   Derek took the boat in to the marina. As they
pulled along the dock, one of the guards threw them a line and then pulled the
boat in. Derek and Rora got out and went to meet Mario and the scientists. The
couple stayed in the boat. Derek had asked them to wait until he and Rora left
before they took the boat. Unasked, one of the guards guided the boat down to a
gas pump and began refueling the speedboat. He thought that was very generous
of them, but odd.

   “Derek.” Mario boomed. “Great work in Baton
Rouge!”

   “It wasn’t a drug lab…” Derek started.

   Mario waved it off. “No worries. Mission
accomplished.”

   Derek bit his tongue. Mario had either known it
wasn’t a drug lab, or the effects of destroying the chemicals were the same so
he didn’t care. As long as he kept his end of the bargain Derek didn’t care
either. Mario waved to the guards and they pushed the scientists forward. The
scientists stumbled towards Derek and Rora. They looked tired and a little
rough around the edges, but otherwise seemed okay. They had a glazed look in
their eyes and Derek realized they may have been drugged.

    “Here is your reward, as promised.” Mario said.

   “They look a little out of it. What did you do to
them?” Derek inquired.

   “Don’t worry; we just had to keep them calm. They
will come out of it shortly. We didn’t harm them if that’s what you are worried
about. NASA can have their precious scientists back. Just keep them out of our
territory in the future. Next time I may not be so accommodating.” Mario warned
him.

   “And their research?” Derek asked.

   “In that case. Everything is there; I didn’t have
much use for it.” Mario said as he pointed to a large metal case on the ground
next to them.

   “I’m keeping the boat also.” Derek informed him.

   “I see you picked up a couple of new friends…I
guess they didn’t like the Order’s hospitality?”

   Derek laughed. “You could say that.”

   Mario’s jovial manner turned serious for a
minute. “You should keep the boat yourself, you may need it.”

  Derek frowned. “I have a chopper coming in to pick
us up.”

  “Even so.” Mario replied cryptically.

  He reached out his hand and Derek moved to shake
it, but Mario pulled him in to a hug instead. “If the NASA thing doesn’t work
out and you need a job in the future let me know. I’ll always be your friend,
no matter what happens. Vaya con dios, mi hermano.”

   Mario turned and walked back to his boat, his
guards following. They cast off and slowly left the marina. Mario was standing
in the back of the boat looking back at Derek with a sad smile on his face.
Something was wrong but Derek couldn’t put his finger on it. He had called the
helicopter pilot on the ride in and told him to be ready to pick them up. Now
he triggered the phone and let the pilot know it was safe to come in. Within
minutes he could hear the whir of the chopper approaching. Oddly, Mario’s boat
was still slowly leaving the inlet. They could have left quickly but it was
like they were waiting for something.

   The minute Derek heard the slight whoosh in the
background, he knew what it was. A missile was launched from the trees in the
distance. It trailed flame and smoke and Derek followed it in slow motion as it
reached up towards the chopper. Rora’s face was frozen in a look of shock and
horror as it moved closer and closer to the chopper. The helicopter exploded in
a brilliant ball of fire after the missile struck it with a resounding boom.
Burning parts rained from the sky across the inlet. He looked back to Mario.
Mario gave him a sad shrug and put his hands up as if to say he was sorry but
it was out of his control. His boat rapidly picked up speed and raced away.

    The staccato sounds of gunfire snapped Derek’s
attention back to his situation. Soldiers in heavy body armor and firing
futuristic looking rifles had materialized from the woods surrounding the old
visitor center. From their uniforms he could tell they were U.S.T.G. troops,
but what was on their left shoulders really marked them. Red berets were tucked
under loops on their shoulder armor. The red berets were the elite special
forces of the U.S.T.G. Army. Derek would have been one of them if he had
stayed. Many of his former comrades were commanders in the Red Berets now. It
looked like the government had decided to stop playing around and come after the
device full force.

   “Into the boat!” He roared at Rora and the
scientists.

   When the scientists froze, he grabbed them and
hurled them bodily into the boat followed by the case. He shoved Rora toward
the boat but she tried to come back. Bullets flew all around them as she
resisted his order. The attacking Red Berets were getting closer and their fire
was getting more accurate. He noticed one of them had an automatic grenade launcher.
That would turn the boat into a flaming pile of scrap metal if they got a direct
hit.

   “Go! I’ll cover your escape! Get them to NASA!
They won’t make it on their own!” He yelled.

   She gave him a look, but realized he was right
and jumped into the boat. They pushed off and sped away as Derek ran into the
marina building. He positioned himself at a window and returned fire. He would
hold them off while the others escaped. He also suspected that they only wanted
him and the others would just be collateral damage. He stood the best chance by
himself anyway. Without anyone else to worry about, he could do what he did
best. Fight!

June 20, 2029

Flamingo Marina, Everglades National Park

  Tom smiled broadly as his ambush took shape. He
had watched the exchange between the target and the Cartel boss with some
concern. They seemed friendly and he was worried the Cartel boss would warn
Major Storm about the ambush. The Cartel man hadn’t been too keen on selling
his friend out, but the threat of the U.S.T.G. attacking the Cartel had proved
a powerful motivator. They may not be able to get troops down to invade the
Cartel territory, but they still had bombers capable of blasting them into the
Stone Age. The old government wouldn’t have had the balls to do it, but the new
one had no such reservations.

   The Government Intelligence Agency, or GIA, had received
a report indicating that the Major was at a cartel drug base in the Everglades.
The GIA was the consolidation of every intelligence agency or arm in the
government. All intelligence assets were controlled by them and all reports
were shared. The head of the GIA, Davis Tallman, reported directly to the
President and was possibly the second most powerful man in the U.S.T.G. The GIA
had informed Tom that Mario Sandoval, the Cartel boss, might know where the
target was.

   Tom had rushed his team down to the Everglades
and made contact with Sandoval. Under pressure from Tom, backed up by the
threat of bombers, Sandoval had cracked. He had told Tom everything about the
current mission the Major was on. And, that they would be returning to the drug
lab to be extracted by helicopter. So, he and his team had set up the ambush
around the drug lab. Their armor would make it difficult for anyone to detect them
as they hid in the surrounding swamp. He had Daron hang back with a Stinger 3
SAM to shoot down the chopper and Saad was on overwatch with his sniper rifle
in case anyone extra came to the party.

    He had watched as the target arrived and they
disembarked. It had been tempting to trigger the ambush right then and there,
but he had agreed to let the Cartel people leave unharmed. Not that he cared
too much about honoring a deal with the drug dealing scum, but the U.S.T.G. had
a future use for them and he was under orders not to upset them too much. So,
he had waited patiently as the exchange had occurred and the Cartel slowly
left. He wasn’t sure what Sandoval had told the Major when he pulled him close,
but it was too late at that point.

   Daron had fired at the approaching chopper and it
never had a chance. The missile had blasted it out of the sky with ease. That
had been the signal for the team to attack and they had rushed forward eagerly.
Unfortunately; the Major had acted amazingly quickly, moving almost the instant
the first gunshot had sounded. That sudden movement had caused Saad’s sniper
fire to miss the Major by a hair’s breadth. He had rushed the non-combatants
into the boat as he covered their escape. Because of the distance, the Red
Berets hadn’t had much success in hitting anything. Tom thought the Major had
taken a minor wound and one of the scientists had been hit, but he couldn’t be
sure.

   The Major had stayed behind to cover the escape
and had taken shelter in the marina building. That was fine, his orders were to
grab the Major and capture the device he was carrying. The others were
extraneous to the mission. He ordered his team to concentrate fire on the
building and keep the Major pinned down inside. They moved to take positions behind
cover, surrounding the building. Zach tried to move closer, but incredibly
accurate fire from the building tagged him with a long burst and knocked him
down.

   “Zach, report. You okay?” Tom demanded through
their helmet radio.

   Each helmet contained a small voice activated
wireless communication system that was encrypted and keyed only to the team. Wu
carried the base unit with the other communication gear on a special hard cased
pack on his back. Tom and Wu also had the ability to jump to a broader channel
through a satellite uplink that allowed them to communicate with command.

   Tom was answered with a groan. “I’m fine, the
armor absorbed the rounds; but it hurts like hell.” Zach replied.

   “Everyone stay behind cover. This guy is an elite
operator with tons of experience. He isn’t going to go easy.” Tom ordered.

   There was a blast of gunfire, and Tom flinched,
but it wasn’t directed at them. He wasn’t sure who or what the Major was
shooting at, but he wanted to take advantage of the distraction. Tom had been
assured that the device was nearly indestructible, so he didn’t need to hold
back when trying to take the Major down. So he decided to take the easy way out
and not risk his team. The armor might stop just about anything, but it did
have some gaps that a round or shrapnel could sneak through.

   “Rosa, drop a couple of grenades into the
building. Everyone else give her covering fire. On my mark…Mark!” Tom ordered.

  Almost as one, the team rose and unloaded
everything they had on the building. Bullets gouged huge holes on the concrete
walls and created a storm of concrete dust and fragments, and the door
disintegrated in a hail of gunfire. Rosa skillfully launched two grenades
through the open windows and the resulting blasts blew fire and smoke out the
windows and door. Before he could congratulate her on her accuracy, a large
explosion knocked him and the entire team down.

   Tom got back to his feet to see a large oily
cloud of black smoke rising from the side of the building. Flames burned furiously,
engulfing the entire side of the building. The side of the building had been
blown in and the roof had collapsed. No one in the building could have survived
the blast. Thick, black smoke was rapidly beginning to obscure the building and
the dock. The grenades didn’t do that, something else had exploded.

   “What the hell was that?” Savio yelled.

   It took Tom a minute to clear his head. Then he
realized what had happened. The diesel fuel tanks had exploded. It had been
after the grenades had exploded, but the tanks and pumps were outside. The
grenades wouldn’t have triggered the explosion. Storm must have blown them up
himself. That triggered a startling realization.

  “Fan out!” Tom yelled into the microphone. “It was
a distraction. The target blew up the fuel tanks to cover his escape!”

   The team burst into action. They spread out and
rushed towards the burning building. The team frantically searched for any sign
of their quarry. He wasn’t on the dock and he wasn’t in the building. The docks
and building were built out onto a spit of land so there was no way he had
gotten past them. The water around the docks was disturbed by burning debris,
but there was no sign of the man there either. Every member was scanning the
area for what seemed like an eternity. Where had he gone?

   “Over there!” Rosa called.

   Tom looked where she was pointing. Across the
inlet, almost to the other side, a head and arms had emerged. The Major must
have swum the entire way under water in heavy clothes with a full pack. Tom had
to admit it was clever to use the fuel tank explosion as cover for his escape.
You didn’t have to be a genius to come up with a plan like that, but swimming
that far under water with all that weight was impressive. He had heard this guy
was a legend, but nothing had mentioned him being a superior athlete.

   The man quickly reached the other side and
climbed out. As soon as they realized where he was, they all opened fire.
Bullets churned the water and tore up the river bank. The trees exploded as the
man disappeared into the woods on the other side. Tom could swear he saw the
man take a few rounds and not even hesitate. This was going to be far more
difficult than the simple hunt and kill operation he had been led to believe.

   “Go around!” He screamed. ”Our armor is too heavy
for us to swim.”

   The team raced off around the inlet, with Tom at
their head. Their target had been covered in mud so it would be difficult to
see him in the unending brown of the dead mangrove trees and overgrowth. That
would also probably make use infrared tracking difficult as well. There was
nowhere for Storm to run to, but he could probably hide for hours, maybe days,
if he wanted to. Tom decided to bring in the chopper to help search. He
switched to the dedicated channel for their air support.

   “Air Support.” He called. “Target is fleeing.
Bring up the chopper to help us search.”

   Silence. There was no response, so he tried again.
But again, there was no response, just silence. Where was their air support? He
highly doubted they were taking a break or turned their radios off. There was
no intel on anyone else in the area and he doubted the Cartel would have
interfered. It was likely that he would have heard an explosion if the choppers
had been taken out. So where were they?

   “Wu.” He called. “I can’t raise our air support.
Is something wrong with the comm?”

   “No sir, it’s working perfectly.” Wu replied.

   “Wait…we’re being jammed?” He exclaimed in
disbelief a moment later.

    “What?” Tom asked bewildered. “How is that
possible? The channels are an encrypted satellite uplink.”

   “Sir, I have no idea. We are just…locked out
somehow.” Wu explained. “The local channel works, but we cannot access any of
the other channels.”

  Since all of the satellites had ceased to work at
the beginning of the Aftermath, the newly formed U.S.T.G. had been unable to
communicate long distance. To remedy that they had launched a few new
satellites into low earth orbit and built gigantic relay towers at all of their
bases. That provided coverage over almost all of North America, with the
Southwest and Pacific Coast being the only blank spots. The channels were
heavily encrypted and kept on isolated servers to prevent any kind of hacking.

   Tom wasn’t sure how the Major was managing that
but it didn’t bode well for their mission. He was starting to get the feeling
that they hadn’t been told everything about this guy. Perhaps his skills
weren’t just legendary and were in fact reality. For the first time in his
life, Tom felt doubt and a twinge of fear. He shook his head and forced those
feelings away. He couldn’t afford even the tiniest bit of hesitation. That
would get you killed in this line of work.

   “Keep trying. Call for as much back up as you can
get if you get through.” He ordered.

   “Sir?” Wu asked with incredulity.

   “Killing this target is of the highest priority.
We cannot let our egos get in the way.” Tom explained quickly.

   As Wu went back to fiddling with the comm unit,
Tom focused on the rest of his team. They had gotten a little ahead of him
while he had been focused on the radio. He could hear their heavy breathing
through their mikes. Running through rough terrain in heavy armor wasn’t
exactly easy and it had been awhile since they had been forced to do so. But they
were all highly trained professionals who kept themselves in top shape so they
were handling it well.

   “Over here!” He heard Bryan yell into his mike.

  “Right behind you!” Daron called seconds later.

  “I got him!” Bryan yelled excitedly.

  The team had become separated in the dense
thickets of the swamp and Tom couldn’t see them directly. He knew which
direction the yelling was coming from and headed in that general direction. The
bursts of gunfire helped guide him and he neared the area that his men had
encountered the Major. Maybe this would be over quickly after all.

   “Where’d he go?” Daron breathed into his mike.

  “He was here a second ago. He’s got to be hiding
around here somewhere.” Bryan added.

   “Keep him contained. I’m almost there.” Tom
informed them.

   “Us too.” Jamal added seconds later.

   Tom smiled. They had the target cornered and once
the rest of the team arrived they could flush him out. He gloated to himself as
he thought of the rewards that would be bestowed upon him by the upper
echelons. A promotion at least. Probably women and cash. Maybe even a nice
house in the suburbs. His daydreaming was cut short by a horrible snap-cracking
noise that came through the headset. That was followed by a sustained burst of
gunfire, an assault rifle on full automatic emptying its clip. Someone was
screaming over the comm channel. It sounded like Daron, but what he was saying
was unintelligible. Then a brief and terrible silence followed by a horrible
gurgling noise.

   “That’s why you follow Rule #20. Always carry a
blade, it never runs out of ammo.” A voice whispered across the channel.

   Was that the Major’s voice on Daron’s radio? He
would have to be in Daron’s face to be close enough for the mike to pick up his
words. Tom got a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach as he raced towards the
sound of the gunfire. He arrived to find the scene he had feared. Both of his
men lay on the ground in lifeless heaps beneath a large tree. His point man’s
head was twisted around in an unnatural function and it was obvious that his
neck had been broken. Daron lay next to him his hand clutched over his bloody
throat. Blood poured out of the gaping wound and Tom watched as the life left
his man’s eyes. He swore as he looked at his fallen men. Who was this guy? He
was cutting down elite troops like they were nothing.