Pegasus in Chains (RF VI), Chapter 12
Spoiler Alert: This is a new entry into the Reckless Faith series. The prologue may be found here: https://devonai.wordpress.com/2021/10/26/reckless-faith-vi-prologue/
It was easy for Helvetios to imagine what a glittering gem Saffron Canyon City must have been before the disaster, in contrast to the utter mess it currently was. As he and his team moved steadily north, they drew closer to the city center, and as such the buildings were getting larger and more elaborate in construction. The street they were following was one of the main arteries through the town, and was arranged in a classic boulevard style, with a strip of former parkland dividing the north and south lanes.
This area was practically deserted compared to the bazaar, which wasn’t surprising given the information Jim was seeing with the Geiger counter function on his PDA. It was too radioactive for anyone to stick around for very long, and the several apartment buildings they had passed so far showed obvious signs of abandonment. What few people that did wander by on the street were wearing some variation of a gas mask or respirator, though a couple of more raggedy individuals simply had a strip of damp fabric tied over their nose and mouths.
It was a cause for concern for the team, but their only other option was to completely gear up in their EVA suits or combat armor, a posture they weren’t yet ready to take. Fortunately they did in fact have iodine pills in their medkits, which as suggested by the guard on their way in was a reasonably effective first-line defense against the type of radiation they were encountering. So, everyone but Jim had taken one.
Helvetios was on rear security, so in addition to scrutinizing each shadowy corner and rooftop, every ten paces he would turn around and carefully check to see if they were being followed. He tried not to be distracted by the energy shield high above them, as it was quite beautiful despite its ominous reason for being there. It was partially covered by the yellow dust that spewed from the research center, which interacted with the shield to form constantly shifting patterns, and was also being moved around by the wind above the canyon, making for a hypnotically peaceful effect, not unlike sunlight shining into clear, shallow water.
After several blocks, they came across the river as it snaked its way through the center of the canyon. Here, they found the remnants of a construction project, including a few disused bucket loaders and self-propelled cranes. The purpose of the work site was clear: there had been an effort to cover the river in an encasement of solid concrete. When the riverbank and the road met each other, he took a moment to look over the railing. The water level was much lower than the banks seemed to indicate it had been at one time, and the putrid trickle of water that remained was nothing anyone would want to drink or touch. Not far to the north, the stream disappeared into the maw of the encasement. Jim appeared at his side just long enough to scan the riverbed.
“Yikes,” he said. “Resist the urge to take a refreshing dip, everyone.”
“Keep it moving,” replied Marcon.
Bravo team continued on their way. So far it had been easy to maintain visual contact with Alpha team, as the boulevard was a straight shot as far as the eye could see. That changed when they reached what looked like a roadblock, consisting mostly of wrecked vehicles and other random metal scraps. A hole big enough for two people to walk abreast was in the middle. Marcon keyed his radio.
“Alpha team, hold there. We’ll come to you, over.”
“Understood, out.” said Alsade, her voice crackling in their earpieces.
Helvetios heard a noise and looked behind him. Two figures were scrambling over the railing from the riverbank, their legs and boots caked in wet mud. He whipped his rifle off of his shoulder and immediately moved to his left toward a bulldozer nearby.
“Contact on our six!” he shouted.
One of the figures managed to get off a shot with a bolt-action rifle before he and his companions were hit with over a dozen rounds of plasma from Helvetios and the rest of Bravo team. They crumpled into a smoking heap. He glanced around him looking for other hostiles, but found none. A moment later, a deafening crack from back to the north caused him to look over his shoulder just in time to see a blue fireball emanate from Cane’s pistol, a shimmering, twisting path of light trailing behind it. He had fired on a man on top of the roadblock, and when the shot hit its target, the man was blown in half, each section of his body glowing blue as it disappeared back behind the obstruction. More conventional gunshots could be heard as Alpha team scrambled to find cover and return fire.
Marcon said, “Helvetios, Laurent, cover our six! Jim, use your scope!”
Jim and Marcon unlimbered their rifles and found a concrete block to kneel behind. Each of them had a scope on their rifle, and they settled in to find a sight picture.
“Two hundred and twenty-five meters,” said Jim.
Alpha team started to attempt a coordinated retreat in bounding pairs. Bullets kicked up dust at their heels as they ran. Marcon and Jim found targets and began firing, slowly and deliberately. Helvetios was beside himself not being able to help, but he had a job to do, too. Soon, Alpha team arrived back at their location, and stumbled behind the cover of the construction equipment. Just as quickly as it had begun, all firing ceased.
“Laurent, over there,” said Marcon, directing him to move to a different location.
Jim and Marcon set up a perimeter within the cluster of machinery. Alpha team bolstered their positions, and everyone held fast. After a couple of quiet minutes, Cane offered his status.
“I’m hit,” he said.
“Me, too,” said Vecky.
“I’m losing blood, here,” said Talyn.
Eva added, “They tagged me, too.”
“Lieutenant?” barked Marcon.
“I’m fine,” replied Alsade.
“Helvetios, Jim, check them out.”
The two men dropped their rucksacks, and grabbed their medkits from inside. Jim went towards Eva and Talyn, so he went to check out Cane and Vecky. Both had been shot in the left leg; Eva above the knee and Cane below. Helvetios attended to Eva first.
“Bastards,” said Eva, keeping her eyes on her sector.
He poked his fingers into the tear in her pant leg and ripped it open. The bullet had passed through her thigh, showing both entrance and exit wounds.
“I’m going to need you to sit down,” he said.
Eva did so. Helvetios wiped away as much blood with sterile gauze as he could, but she was leaking like a sieve. He got out a pressure dressing with an elastic band, and another roll of gauze. Then, he balled up the gauze, placed it over the exit wound, and slapped the pad of the dressing on the entrance wound. Finally, he wrapped the elastic band around both, making it as tight as he could.
“Do you have dermaplasts?” she asked, wincing at his efforts.
“Yes, but I want you to take an oral anticoagulant first.”
“Side effects?”
“Are you serious?” He found the blister pack he wanted. “Just swallow this. If the flow abates, then I’ll try to apply dermaplasts.”
He slapped her on the shoulder, and moved on to Cane. His wound was superficial, and only required a standard bandage. Helvetios used a pressure dressing anyway, as it was the easiest to apply and secure. That done, he moved to assist Jim. He had already attended to a grazing head wound on Vecky, and was evaluating Talyn.
“How’s he doing?” he asked.
“He took a large caliber round to the chest,” replied Jim. “His jacket took the brunt of the force. There was no penetration.”
“Can I take this thing off, now?” asked Talyn. “I’m roasting.”
Jim and Helvetios helped him remove his jacket. It was hot to the touch. Jim lifted his shirt and investigated the bruising through his fur.
“Take a few deep breaths for me,” Jim said.
Talyn did so, and indicated no unusual discomfort. Marcon looked at them.
“We should displace. Is Alpha team mobile?”
“Eva?” asked Helvetios.
“I can walk,” she replied.
Marcon said, “Good, let’s see if we can get inside that structure across the way.” He pointed at a three-story apartment building on the west side of the boulevard. “But first I want to make a swap. Adeler, you’re on Bravo now; Laurent, take her place on Alpha.”
“Okay,” they both said.
“Alpha, move up. Bravo, cover us.”
Helvetios kept his eye on the gloomy streets while Alpha team ran west and swept into the building. A few minutes later, Alsade’s voice came through over the radio.
“The building is clear. Bravo team, come to us, over.”
“Moving, out,” replied Marcon.
Bravo team crossed the boulevard, went up a half-flight of marble steps, and entered the building. As Helvetios crossed the threshold, he noticed a thin layer of yellow dust on the floor. Jim must have seen it as well, and he scanned the entryway with his PDA.
“We shouldn’t stay in here for too long,” Jim said. “Try not to get any dust on your legs.”
“I’d love to get a sample of that stuff and take it back to the Fox for analysis,” said Eva.
Helvetios reached into his pocket and pulled out the foil wrapper from one of the pressure dressings. “Here. Scrape some into here, fold over the open end, and I’ll tape it shut. Then I’ll do the same with another wrapper. Two layers of foil should be enough to block alpha particles.”
“He’s right,” said Jim. “Here though, I’ll do it.”
Jim took the first wrapper and gathered up some dust with the edge, then Helvetios helped him seal up both wrappers with plaster tape. He handed it off to Eva, who stuffed it in her rucksack. That done, he posted up on the door to watch the street. From what he saw of the first floor, it was a standard layout for a residential apartment. Alsade had gone to guard the rear entrance, and everyone else gathered in the living room.
“Adeler,” began Marcon, “how are you holding up?”
Eva said, “It hurts like hell, but the bandages haven’t soaked through. I won’t be sprinting any time soon, of course.”
“So, you’re good to continue the mission?”
“For now. I’ll let you know if it gets any worse. If I become unable to walk, I’ll hole up somewhere safe and wait for you to return. If I put on my EVA suit, I’ll be able to monitor my vital signs.”
“I’m not going to let you do that without assigning you a companion,” said Vecky. “I think the team will do just fine with seven instead of nine. In fact, I think you should stay here.”
“I’m really okay for now, Vecky. I’m not going to bullshit you. I promise I won’t push myself too hard, and I’ll let you know as soon as I start struggling.”
“It’s your call.”
“Should we call for evac?” asked Talyn, rubbing his chest.
“Are you doing okay?” Jim asked him.
“I’m fine. It just feels like I was kicked by a wolrasi.”
Marcon said, “We already went over the evac plan, weren’t you paying attention?”
“I suppose I wasn’t.”
“We don’t know if it’s safe for a shuttle to pass through the energy shield. If not, we’d have to get at least as far as out of the city. In either case, we have to assume that Vastus forces will actually respond to a breach of the restricted zone, which means we only get one shot at it. If Adeler doesn’t need immediate surgery, we should continue the mission. Unless you disagree, Captain Kitsune.”
“No, you’re right,” replied Vecky.
“Then everybody take five, water up, and top off your magazines.”
Jim said, “I’m becoming concerned for you humanoids. Radiation levels are becoming more consistently dangerous. You should really put on your suits if we’re going deeper into the city.”
“We’ll give up any hope of blending in, but if that’s your recommendation then we’d better do it. Do us a favor and see if you can find a room that’s relatively free of contamination in this apartment where we can suit up.”
“No problem. Be right back.”
Jim went off to investigate the rest of the structure.
“Helvetios, let’s see if we can manage to apply dermaplasts to my wounds,” said Eva. “It will be a lot easier to put my suit on over them.”
“I’d prefer to wait at least thirty minutes for the Tranex to kick in,” he replied. “Captain Marcon, do you think we can stay here for a bit longer?”
“Captain Kitsune?” Marcon asked.
“I’m sure another half an hour won’t make any difference,” Vecky said. “And as long as we’re staying put, we might as well have lunch.”
“Fine by me. Sergeant, I’ll relieve you in fifteen minutes so you can get some chow. Mister Venator, can you do the same for Lieutenant Alsade?”
“Sure,” said Cane.
“Good. Then everybody finish eating, get suited up, and let’s get on with this god damn shit show.”
