Unknown enemy, p.19
Unknown Enemy, page 19
part #1 of Broken Earth Series
"Come on..." he complained.
"Shut up, Foster. We don't have any time for your whining and joking around now. This is serious," said Lee.
Donny looked appreciative of his brother's support.
"So what's first?" Lee asked.
"My house is just round the corner," said Mikey.
"Yeah, I remember. All right. We stay low, and head for Mikey's place. Keep your eyes peeled for anything and everything. I've got no fucking idea what we're gonna find. Remember that. Could be hostiles, could be friendlies. Don't go pulling the trigger without thinking, you hear me?"
He took a deep breath, realising how much pressure he was under.
"Okay, Lee, you're with me. You two, keep three-metre spacing back from us, got it?"
"Metres?"
"Foster, don't be smart, asshole. You know what it means," snapped Lee.
They set off slowly and quietly. When they had spaced out enough, Lee asked his brother some questions.
"Did they train you for this?"
"What, to lead a fireteam? Sure. Another year, and I could have been leading one."
"I was thinking of signing up, you know."
"Really?"
"Don't be so shocked."
"You always lived for football. I figured you get a scholarship or something."
"Yeah, well maybe I was never meant for it."
"But you're good at it."
"So were you."
"How'd you know I didn't wish I’d kept it up?"
"Something tells me that this path you took is gonna be the right one."
"What do you mean?"
"That whatever shit it going down here, it ain't gonna be resolved anytime soon. That we're gonna need a whole lot more soldiers than guys that can throw a ball."
"This is it, turn here," said Mikey.
They leapt over a short fence and hurried up to the back door of the house. Donny led the way. He twisted the door handle and found it was unlocked. From the look on Mikey's face that was no surprise at all. They went inside, Donny checking the corners and doors, the others ambling in like it were any other day.
"It's clear, nobody here," said Donny.
"What the fuck?" Mikey had a real look of concern on his face.
He rushed to the stairs.
"Where are you going? They're not here," said Lee.
"I know that, but Dad's cabinet is upstairs."
Lee looked to Donny, who simply nodded in agreement to let him go. He thundered up the stairs with purpose. Donny cringed at the excessive sound, but he could hardly risk shouting to tell him to quiet it down. He went to the window and pulled back the net curtains very slowly, enough to get a view onto the road outside. It was deadly quiet.
"That's creepy," said Lee.
His brother was mirroring his action at the far side of the living room window. But he looked back to see movement.
"Jesus!" Lee watched four of the robot-like soldiers stroll around a corner as if they were on patrol, "What are they even doing here? The town is dead. Everyone’s either gone or dead."
"You don't know that, Lee."
"Got a pretty good idea, I'd say."
"Everyone stay quiet and let them pass. We came here for answers, not for a fight."
Donny was watching them like a hawk, but drew back the curtain a little to ensure he was well concealed. His pulse was racing. These were not the same things he'd faced in the wilderness that tragic night, but they looked awfully similar. He remembered his friends vividly, and then looked over to his brother and friends, wondering if they'd be next. It made him sick to think it.
"We shouldn't have come here," he whispered.
"What are you talking about? It took two minutes to convince you," said Foster.
"That doesn't make it right. Ross and his team got the hell out of here for good reason. Shh," he said as they drew nearer.
He held his breath as they passed, and finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"They must have this whole damn town on lockdown," whispered Lee.
"But where are all the people?" asked Foster.
Donny was watching the soldiers leave when there was a crashing sound upstairs as something smashed. He winced at the sound, knowing what it would mean. He looked out of the window. The four soldiers had turned back and were approaching the house.
"Goddamn it, Mikey!" Foster shouted.
"Get down! Shut up and go for cover!" Donny ordered.
Glass blew out, showering him as he ran back for cover, and a hail of bullets smashed into the living room. He hit the ground hard, crawled back towards the far wall, and hid behind the cover of the sofa.
"Get ready, you give them hell, you hear?"
Lee nodded in agreement, and a second later the door was smashed off its hinges, and a soldier crashed through. Donny took aim, but a shotgun thundered out before he could get off a shot. Mikey was coming down the stairs, firing a pump gun. The heavy slugs knocked the solder back, blowing it out through the open doorway. He looked at Donny with a smile as if he'd done good.
"Get down!" Donny yelled.
Shots burst through the house as he leapt for cover. He hit the ground hard and was hauled to safety by Lee.
"What the hell are you doing?"
"Kicking ass," he said with a smile.
Another of the enemy appeared in the doorway where the previous one had fallen. Both Donny and Foster opened fire, riddling it with bullets. Seconds later the remains of the window of the living room came crashing through as another soldier breached it. Gunfire echoed about the room as all four of them opened fire, riddling the soldier with more than a dozen bullets. The room soon fell silent.
"There were four, where’s the fourth one?"
Donny rushed to the front window that was completely blown out. To his surprise the fourth enemy soldier was running away from the scene at a jogging pace.
"What the hell?"
"It's going to get help, Lee."
Donny lifted his rifle to the shoulder and took careful aim. He took one deep breath, held it, and finally squeezed the trigger. The round struck at the neck, and the soldier tumbled, crashing into a heap on the road. He looked at the others.
"Everyone okay?"
"Yep, we're fine," Mikey sounded surprised, as if there was nothing wrong.
"Come on. We're getting the fuck out of here."
Chapter 5
"Jesus that was close," said Lee as they rushed back towards the car.
"Way too close. What the hell were you thinking, Mikey?"
"This is a fight, isn't it, Donny? We need guns!" He was struggling with the huge black bag slung over his shoulder.
"Yeah, well I hope it was worth it," replied Lee.
"If we make it out of here, maybe, but you brought a ton of trouble down on our heads," said Donny.
"I'm sorry, okay. I didn't mean to break anything. I knocked over a lamp trying to get all this gear."
"You make a mistake in a game, and you get ribbed and ridiculed. Make a mistake out here in my world, and you’re dead. You get me?"
Mikey looked stone cold and serious, the severity of it all finally dawning on him. They reached the car to find it was as they left it. He threw the heavy bag into the trunk before they leapt in without hesitation.
"Emma's gonna be pissed we took her car, you know that right?"
"Foster, we’ve got bigger worries than her." Lee backed the car back out onto the road.
"Easy now, no need to make any more noise than we have to," said Donny.
Lee eased the power down and pulled away slowly, keeping a slow and steady cruise. They reached the edge of town when Donny spotted two of the enemy at the far end of the road. They were walking in the opposite direction. It looked like a patrol.
"Turn, now!"
Lee yanked the steering wheel. Donny kept his eyes glued on the enemy until the moment they were out of sight. He was finally happy they'd made it, but when he turned around, another patrol up was up ahead.
"Right, right, right!"
Lee yanked the steering back the other way, and the rear end snapped out as they slid onto a dirt track. He wrenched the steering back and wrestled with the wheel, finally bringing the car back into control. They could feel heavy bumps through the car as they rolled down a potholed track.
"This is the Collins farm, ain't no way out of here except by tractor," said Mikey.
"We don't have a choice." Donny looked back to see if they were being pursued. They were on an open track with no cover, and could be seen far all around. He didn't like it at all.
"All right, this ain't gonna be easy. No matter what happens, you get back to the cabin, you hear?"
"What do you mean, whatever happens?"
"If we get split up, Foster, if anyone goes down."
"Goes down? You want to leave people behind?"
"I don't want to. But get this through your head. We’re fighting to survive here. Help each other where you can, but don't die for no reason. As many of us make it out of here as possible, that’s the number one aim, you get me?"
They reached the farm and passed the outbuildings, coming to a halt at the entrance to a field with an impassable track. Their tyres were already bogged down in the sodden and muddy ground.
"Great, now we’re fucked," said Foster.
"We were never getting out with this car, so it doesn't matter," replied Donny.
He went over to one of the open barns to look for another means of transport, but stopped as he beheld a gruesome sight.
"What is it?"
When he didn't reply, Lee went to his brother’s side.
"Ah, shit, that's Collins and his son."
The tractor and pickup parked there were riddled with holes, and their bodies lay between the two. Lee went to the pickup and lifted the hood. The carb and distributor had been blown apart by shots that had gone through the fender. He slammed the hood down.
"Damn it, can't we catch a break?"
"What now?"
"We’re walking it, aren't we?"
"Uh, guys, I think I have an idea..." said Foster.
* * *
Emma paced back and forth the cabin. Every now and then she stopped at the door to look out. She was as furious as she was concerned. Yet Ross looked as calm as could be as he cleaned his weapons.
"They should have been back by now," she muttered.
But she got no response.
"They should have been back, shouldn't they?"
The Tuckers were there as well, their truck waiting outside.
"We should go looking for them. We can help them," she pleaded.
"No," Ross stated firmly.
"What? They might need our help."
"If those kids get themselves into trouble, that's their problem!" Ortiz added.
"That's it? You won't help?"
"I won't endanger others because they made a stupid call, no," replied Ross.
"They're football players for Christ’s sake. They don't know any better."
"Wrong. They have Donny with them, and he knew exactly what he was doing, and the risks he was taking."
She sighed and anxiously paced back and forth once more.
"Goddamn it, what are we even doing here?"
"Biding our time, Emma. There’s only so much we can do with what we have."
"So that's it? It's hard going so we just give up and sit around here?"
She looked to Miles for help, but he clearly wasn't on her side with this one.
"Nobody is giving up." He stood up angrily and towered over her, "You know nothing about war. You know nothing about any of this. You'd have us run back in there like cowboys, all guns blazing. Well guess what? That's what your stupid friends did, and probably got themselves killed in the process."
The reality was dawning on her, and her anger soon turned to sadness.
"Look, I don't want anything bad to have happened to them, but don't treat us like the enemy. We came back to help, but we're doing it on our terms, because we know how to do this. This is our job, one we've been doing very successfully for many years, and..."
He stopped himself, realising she'd had enough of the lecture.
"It's Lee and Donny!" a voice yelled.
She shot up and ran to the door. The four of them were casually riding up the hill on horseback. She froze at the bizarre sight. She loved horses, but it was the last thing she'd expected to see. As Lee leapt from his horse, she rushed up and hugged him. He seemed surprised, but wasn't going to argue with it. She'd lost Sam, and the thought of losing Lee and the others was too much.
"Where's our Mom's car?" Miles asked.
He didn't really care for their Mom's sake, but he was pissed that they'd take his sister's ride.
"It's back at the Collins farm. Don't worry, it's still in one piece," replied Foster.
"Care to tell us what the hell you think you were playing at?" Ross asked calmly but in a firm tone.
"There's something you need to know."
"Yes, Donny, there is. You took a vehicle, one of only two that still worked. You took an asset, and you risked your lives. You risked all our lives. And you lead school kids into a hostile environment. I'd expect you to know better!"
"It wasn't his idea. It was mine," replied Lee.
Ross looked angry, "Go on."
"Look, people have families down there. We had to know what was going on. We had to know if they’re still alive."
Ross sighed as he rubbed his hand down his face. He understood why they did it, but he was still furious.
"Look, you can't just run off and do your own thing. Whatever it is we are dealing with here, it's real, and deadly. You can't act like kids anymore."
"I get it, and I'm sorry."
"That's some stupid shit you pulled," said Ortiz.
"We know, we got it," replied Foster.
"You said there was something we needed to know?" Ross asked.
"On our way back we passed something."
"What do you mean something?"
"There were people there, behind fences, people from the town. It was like some kind of prison," replied Lee.
"Or an internment camp," added Donny.
"Tell me exactly what you saw and where?"
"It was a couple of miles out of town, back this way, but off the main roads. We had to go cross country to avoid their patrols."
"And this camp, what was happening there?"
"Nothing that I could see. The fences were tall, maybe three metres, and strong, too. Not something that was there before. They must have brought it with them."
"Brought with them?" Ortiz asked in amazement.
"Why is that such a surprise?" Foster asked.
"Because I thought we were dealing with a lightning strike."
"As opposed to what?"
"Occupation," replied Ross.
"Occupation? That's crazy. You know the last time this country was invaded?" Lee asked.
"Of course we do, dumbass," replied Ortiz.
"No way, it can't be happening. Nobody would do it, nobody could."
"Don't be so naive," replied Ross, "It's that kind of hubris that always ends badly."
"Come on, though. You're talking about an invasion of the whole country? Don't you think we'd have heard about something like that before we saw it first hand?"
"Normally, yes. But you know the best way to succeed in an operation?"
Lee shook his head.
"Hit the enemy before they even know you’re coming."
"So you're saying the whole country was hit at once?"
"I'm saying it's possible."
"But how? You'd need hundreds of thousands of soldiers and ships and aircraft to do that. We'd have seen them coming. We've got radar and shit."
"Look around, whatever we’re fighting here, it isn't a conventional army. It isn't like anything I've ever seen. Robot soldiers? We're decades off from that sort of tech. Aircraft that fly like jets but without wings? Let's be real here. It's weird."
"Trust us, this is coming from guys who've seen all kinds of weird. Whatever this is, it's off the charts," added Ortiz.
The whole group fell into an uncomfortable silence. Ross and his team were still angry, but it was hard to be too tough on the kids.
"All right, get some food in you. You're gonna need your strength," said Ross.
"For what?"
"Anything and everything, Lee. Just be ready when we need you."
They gladly went inside, but Emma clipped Foster's ear as they did so.
"What was that for?"
"It was your idea, wasn't it?"
"What?"
"Taking my car?"
"What, why? Why is it always on me?"
"Because you're the kind of asshole who'd think it was funny to take someone's car."
"Come on!"
He found little support among his friends.
"Am I wrong?"
Foster shook his head as they went inside.
"Oh, come on, why do I get the blame for everything?"
"Because it's your fault," replied Lee.
Emma began to laugh, and the others joined in. Donny hadn't gone with them and was waiting to talk to Ross in private.
"What is it?"
"The owners at that farm, the Collins."
"Yeah?"
"They were killed outright. Looks like they put up a fight, but didn't stand a chance. If they took any of these assholes down with them, there was no evidence of bodies."
"They probably took their dead. We do, whenever we can."
Donny shook his head as if that wasn't what he was getting at.
"A few farmers get brutally killed, but the town folk are penned into a camp en masse?"
"What are you thinking?"
"That they're only killing those who are armed. Those who put up a fight." Ortiz had been listening in.
"What do you think that means? What’s going on here?"
"It's what we'd do if we invaded a hostile nation."
"Imprison an entire population?"
"It's an extreme take on it, I admit, but it’s far from a million miles from what we would do."
"Bullshit, we've never done that."
"Think about it. We've not invaded anywhere to take land in our lifetimes. We remove leaders, bring freedom to oppressed peoples."
