Pegasus in Chains (RF VI), Chapter 16
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/
Also, this is well beyond the halfway point of the story, and as I’ve traditionally done, there will be no further updates on my blog to the work-in-progress. I will post progress updates, but if you want to read the rest of the story, you’ll have to wait until the book comes out! Optimistically, I’m looking at an early October time frame. For now, Chapter 16 follows.
Evangeline smoothly and swiftly swept inside the lobby of the Executive tower, her AK-74 tucked tightly into her shoulder. Her position in the stack required her to move to the near right corner of the room, while the others cleared the other three corners. She had activated the night-vision feature of her helmet moments before entering, and thanks to the IR illuminator mounted on the side, the space was lit up like noontime. She had nearly tripped over an upended bench, but managed to bunny-hop over it and land running. Searching for targets, she hadn’t yet taken time to appreciate the finer details of the lobby, only focusing on the eastern wall and anyone that might stand in her way.
“Clear!” she shouted.
The rest of the breaching team declared the same condition, and Eva crouched while she caught her breath. She scanned the space, identifying other exits and confirming the position of her friends. The most immediate feature of the lobby was that it was two stories tall, and had a bank of three elevators on the west wall. In the silence that followed the action, she also took account of a long reception desk, a small door behind it, and a hallway that led further into the first floor. Hanging above the threshold to that hallway were two planks, each about three meters long, nailed to the wall and tied into a the shape of an X with red cord. Other than a few pieces of furniture scattered here and there, the area was clear of debris. From the opposite corner, Marcon keyed his radio.
“The rest of ADVEC, move inside.”
Cane, Talyn, Laurent, Jim, and Vecky entered the building, and also spread out to the four corners of the lobby. Vecky ended up next to Eva.
“You chose your AK?” the younger woman asked.
“It’s the loudest weapon in the group,” Eva replied softly. “I figured shock and awe might be in order.”
“Cut the chatter and hold here,” growled Marcon.
The team remained in a defensive posture for a few minutes. Though there was no other artificial light in the room, the buttons for the elevators were illuminated.
“The elevators appear to be working.”
“We’re not taking the elevators. First squad, move inside. Second and third squads, deploy your insta-screens.”
Nine more of Marcon’s troops entered the building.
“Insta-screens?” asked Vecky.
“Portable cloaking shields,” said Marcon. “Sort of like pop-up tents. They don’t work very well up close, but they’re effective against aerial recon or snipers. As long as I have those squads guarding the street, they might as well use them.”
“Handy.”
“They have been. All right, first squad, guard the lobby. ADVEC, we’re going to clear the first floor.”
Praxis said, “Rumor has it that IP only occupies the floors above the energy shield. Though we definitely should have run into some guards already.”
Marcon said, “That explains the poor health of the ones we’ve encountered. The safest way to do this is to clear every floor until we run into somebody.”
“That’s eighty floors. That’ll take hours. If you’re worried about getting flanked, if we stick to one stairwell then it will act as a choke point. It shouldn’t be too hard to fight our way back to ground level.”
“Captain Kitsune, it’s your call.”
“We’ll sweep the first floor,” said Vecky. “Maybe the guards are having a meal or something. If we find no one, then we’ll choose a stairwell and head to the threshold of the energy shield.”
“I’d still like to post sentries every fifteen floors until then, to help facilitate a retreat.”
“Fine with me.”
“Second squad, come inside. Third squad, re-establish a perimeter.”
Another squad entered the building. It was starting to get rather crowded in the lobby.
“Now would be a good time to blow the building,” said Talyn, “if that was their plan.”
“Don’t even talk like that,” said Vecky.
“Listen up,” began Marcon. “Here’s the plan. Second squad, clear the ground floor. When you’re done with that, ADVEC will begin ascending to the eightieth floor, same order as before. First squad, you’ll follow us, and post two troops every fifteenth floor. Sergeant Helvetios, you’ll stay with the ninth man at the seventy-fifth floor. That’s all. Second squad, move out.”
The next twenty minutes went by without incident, with the exception of Marcon having to remind several people to knock off idle conversation. Other than that, the place was as silent as a tomb. Second squad returned, and the platoon sergeant approached Marcon.
“All clear,” he said. “We found office suites, bathrooms, a vending room, a cafeteria, and some mechanical rooms. It doesn’t look like any of this space has been used in quite some time. The dust on the floor was enough to confirm that.”
“Good job. We’re going up now. Keep the lobby secure and don’t take your eyes off those elevators, either.”
“Aye, sir.”
Eva and her team got in a single-file line and approached the nearest stairwell. Vecky was in front of her, and Marcon behind. Alsade was on point once again. As they started climbing, Vecky tried to look up the center of the shaft.
“I’m not sure I can make it up eighty floors,” she said. “There isn’t a lot of opportunity for exercise aboard the Fox.”
“The Fox has a decent gym,” said Eva, smirking. “Perhaps this experience will teach you to use it more often.”
“Maybe I should make you use it as your quarters.”
Alsade said, “I’ll try to keep a reasonable pace. Now will you two shut up already?”
“Took the words out of my mouth,” muttered Marcon.
Despite Eva’s teasing, she was no more prepared for this task than Vecky. Indeed, by the 20th floor, everyone was struggling, even Marcon and his troops. Only Jim was immune from the exertion. Alsade was forced to slow down to let everyone keep up, as she seemed less bothered by the effort. Fortunately for the humanoids, their suits helped keep them cool.
“How are you supposed to fight when you can’t even catch your breath?” puffed Vecky.
“That’s combat,” replied Marcon. “You either figure it out, or you die.”
“You know, I’ll take a firefight right now if it means we get to stop climbing stairs.”
“You can swap out with one of the sentries at the thirtieth floor if you like.”
“It may come to that.”
By the time they reached the 30th floor, most of them needed a break. They drank from their canteens, and a few of them sat down. Marcon keyed his radio.
“Second and third squads, sitrep?”
“Nothing here in the lobby,” came the first reply.
“The streets are dead,” said the next man.
“Good, stay frosty. Marcon out.”
“I’m done,” said Vecky. “I want to take the elevator. I’d rather take my chances of being trapped inside or ambushed at the eightieth floor than stay here and guard the stairwell.”
“That’s your choice. In my opinion, it’s too risky. Even if you make it out of the car alive, if you get into trouble you won’t have any backup.”
“I’ll go with her,” said Eva, wiping some water from her chin. “Venator? Talyn?”
“I’m in,” said Cane.
“Fine by me,” added Talyn.
“This idea isn’t going to work without me,” said Praxis, then he shrugged. “I guess I’m going, too.”
Eva painfully picked herself up from the landing, put down her visor, and readied her rifle. “I’ll take point.”
The new team of five entered the thirtieth floor. Eva cleared the hallway to the right, and Praxis moved to the left. The corridor stretched all the way from the front to the back of the building, and they could see right away that it was empty, save for some acoustical tiles that had fallen to the floor. A single fluorescent light in the ceiling nearby flickered erratically. Praxis stayed put as the rest of the team entered the hallway, then followed them toward the elevator banks. As they approached that area, their boots began to kick up yellow dust. Arriving at the doors, they found floor-to-ceiling exterior windows, most of which were smashed out. Eva stole a glance down at the street.
“Those insta-screens are pretty neat,” she said. “I can’t tell where third squad is.”
“Here goes nothing,” said Vecky, and pressed one of the call buttons.
A light above the doors lit up weakly, and a few seconds later, a grinding sound announced the arrival of the car. The doors scraped open, revealing that it was unoccupied. None of the interior lights were working.
“Do your suits protect against fall damage?” asked Praxis.
“That would be convenient, but no,” replied Talyn.
They all got in, and the doors clattered shut. Vecky hit the button for the 80th floor. There were 101 floors in total. The car shuddered unnervingly as it began to rise, but smoothed out after a couple of floors. As they passed the 75th floor, Eva raised her rifle.
“Get ready,” she said.
“Allow me,” said Praxis. He stood in front of the doors, holding his flag with both hands. When they opened, he almost dropped it, and he put his left hand over his mouth and nose. “Ugh!”
“What is it?”
He gagged. “The stench… it’s death.”
Eva aimed her rifle into a dark hallway. “Put on your gas mask.”
“No, they need to be able to recognize me. Just give me a minute.”
Gathering himself together, Praxis advanced into the corridor, holding the flag out before him. Though she couldn’t smell it with her helmet on, Eva could see the source of the odor. Skeletal remains of humanoids littered the floor, with strips of flesh hanging from the bones. Though she wasn’t an expert, she thought she could identify several different races that had met their end. Advancing into the hallway, the team kept their weapons at the ready, and examined every nook. This level was arranged in the same way as the one on the 30th floor, so they first cleared the area near the elevators. Before they turned around, she noted that the windows were intact. Outside, swirls of yellow dust drifted past.
The various doors that flanked the hallway appeared to be office suites, though Eva had no interest in investigating any of them. As they continued, Praxis tucked one end of the rod under his left arm, and drew his pistol.
“This is worse than I thought,” he uttered.
Last in line, Cane peered at his PDA. “Mister Praxis, radiation levels here are elevated. You should really put on a respirator.”
“Not yet.”
At first indistinguishable from the macabre debris, a hint of motion caused the team to stop. A figure was bent over a skeleton, working with a dull blade to try to separate a femur from a tibia. The person barely glanced at the team, then continued cutting, the knife making a sickening grating sound. Covered almost entirely by a tattered robe, it was difficult to make out any detail of their condition.
“Fuck,” whispered Eva.
“I am Jinro Praxis, leader of Shining Beacon. I request parlay with Matron, under peaceful terms.”
Separating the bones, and standing up victoriously with the tibia, the figure looked at them. Its gender was impossible to tell, and brown teeth grinned at them obscenely from a face without lips. Eva felt her index finger wander onto the trigger of her rifle.
“Ood,” it said.
“I’m sorry, what?”
The creature pointed to its mouth. “Eat.”
“You want something to eat?”
It nodded yes, so Praxis glanced at his team. “Somebody give it some food.”
Talyn handed his rifle to Cane, then took off his rucksack. He rooted around inside for a moment and pulled out a package of meat jerky. He tossed it forward, and the figure looked at it, but didn’t pick it up.”
“Kau’Rii,” it said.
“Yes, I’m a Kau’Rii,” Talyn said.
“Eat. You.”
“What the fuck?”
Cane examined one of the skeletons. “There are blade marks all over these bones.”
“Give Kau’Rii,” the figure said, “and show you Matron.”
“Holy shit,” said Eva. “You want to trade him in exchange for taking us to Matron? So you can eat him?”
“Yes.”
“I think we just figured out where IP has been getting their sustenance,” said Cane.
Praxis dropped his flag, lifted his pistol, fired, and took the creature’s head off of its shoulders.
“God damn it!” yelled Eva. “Look sharp, people!”
Halfway down the corridor, the door to one of the suites opened. Three figures burst out, all holding knives. Eva opened up with her rifle, felling all of them with an eight-round burst. Praxis covered his ears, a moment too late, and stumbled to the side. Behind her, Cane began rapidly firing his Liberator pistol, joined a split-second later by Vecky and her carbine. Eva resisted the urge to look at the action, instead keeping her focus on her end of the hallway. When the noise abated, Vecky spoke.
“Fall back to the elevators!”
The team carefully back-pedaled to the elevator lobby, passing by the people that Cane and Vecky had just killed. All that Eva was able to see were rags and blood.
“Captain Kitsune,” began Praxis, “Negotiations have failed. You need to decide right now if we’re continuing the mission, or withdrawing back to town.”
Vecky appeared to be in shock, but took a deep breath and looked at him. “You had no idea these people were cannibals?”
Praxis snapped his fingers next to his left ear. “No. I never would have brought you here if I had known how corrupted these people have become. This is far more than two different religious sects deciding how they want to worship. The Illuminated Path cannot be saved.”
“Do you think living up here, with all this radiation, has driven them mad?”
He gestured at the mess in the corridor. “What more evidence do you need? Captain, the mission can still succeed, if there’s element 93 around. However, you’re going to have to kill any opposition we meet. If you’re not okay with that, we should abort now.”
Talyn said, “Just so we’re clear, I’m not okay with being slaughtered for my flesh, although I’m sure I’m quite delicious if prepared with some savory spices.”
“And here I thought you were a team player,” said Cane.
Praxis looked at both of them. “You two have clearly seen some shit in your day.”
“I don’t see any moral equivalency here,” said Vecky. “Religious zealots are one thing, this is something else. Regardless of any neptunium, we’d be doing Saffron Canyon City a favor by wiping them out.”
“Then you know what you have to do.”
Vecky keyed her radio. “Marcon, this is Kitsune, come in, over.”
“Go ahead,” said Marcon’s voice.
“The situation has changed. This is now purely a combat mission. Proceed with the placement of the sentries, and have everyone else meet us on the eightieth floor. Rules of engagement are now kill on sight. You got that?”
“Understood. Marcon out.”
Praxis pulled out his gas mask and put it on, then turned to Eva. “I don’t suppose you’d mind if I used your Phalanx?”
Eva juggled her rifles and passed the carbine off to him. “I have plenty of ammo for Mister Kalashnikov here. Do you know how to use the grenade launcher?”
“Yes, though I’m sure you’d all appreciate it if I try to refrain.”
She passed off her spare magazines for the weapon, along with a bandoleer of twelve grenades.
“Do you want to sweep the rest of this floor?” asked Cane.
“Fuck no,” replied Vecky. Hold here until Marcon arrives.”
Fifteen minutes later, Alsade and Marcon emerged from the stairwell. They took in the carnage in the corridor, then met up with the rest of the team.
“This looks like an abattoir,” Marcon said, disgusted.
“That’s right,” replied Vecky. “Isolation and radiation have turned them to cannibalism. If there’s element 93 in this building, we’re going to find it. And we’re going to kill anyone that stands in our way.”
Marcon put his hand up to his ear. “Hold on, I’m getting a message from the Rastaban.”
“That can’t be good.”
“No, it isn’t. First platoon is in trouble.”
__________
Saffron Canyon Dam was considered to be the northern limits of the city that shared its name, and across its top ran the road that Lieutenant Bellenshed and 1st platoon had taken to get there. It also made a handy place for a military checkpoint, as after the dam the road made its serpentine way into the canyon and down to the city proper. Bellenshed had already made a deal with the guards there, and had planned on moving his troops from the west side to the east after notification from Captain Marcon.
The hydroelectric generators at the dam were still functioning, and according to the guards, supplied the city with all of its power needs. The support buildings were all on the west side, and when they’d first arrived, what few workers they saw almost completely ignored them. Upon realizing that the visitor’s center was abandoned, Bellenshed moved most of his troops inside to wait. A few hours had gone by before two dropships full of Vastus Defense Force soldiers had shown up. It was at that point that he alerted his boss to the problem.
“It’s not a coincidence,” Bellenshed was saying. “Aerial patrols were frequent during our trip here. We must not have gotten the insta-screens up in time at one point. They’re heading this way, contact is imminent, over.”
It took a few seconds for Marcon’s reply to bounce off of the Rastaban and reach him.
“Get across that dam now,” he said. “If they fire on you, try warning shots first. If they have the balls to press an attack, shoot to kill. Attempt to break contact once you’re under the energy shield. You have the coordinates of our location, head there immediately, over.”
“Understood. Bellenshed out.”
He peered out onto the street through the nearest grimy window. The Vastus soldiers had finished dismounting their transports, and were arranging themselves in a wedge formation, getting ready to move east. Though the shifting yellow plumes of dust made it difficult, he was fairly confident he counted twenty-seven men in total. That made them an even match, at least in numbers. He couldn’t yet identify their arms or armor. There were three buildings on the near side of the road, and three on the far side, but the cover they offered wouldn’t be of any help once they made a break for the dam.
“All right, listen up,” he began. “I will initiate contact. First squad, head north. Second squad, stay among these buildings on the south side. Third squad, head for the dam, and try to keep these buildings in their line of sight as soon as possible.”
His sergeants confirmed the orders, and second and third squad exited the building to the south. First squad posted up next to Bellenshed and prepared to move across the street. The first man in line opened the door for him, and he leaned out, rifle shouldered. He aimed well above the heads of the soldiers, and let loose a volley of plasma. Without waiting to see their reaction, he gestured for first squad to go. They sprinted across the street, with the last man finding cover behind a building just seconds after the soldiers returned fire. Their purple-tinged plasma shots zipped down the street, then ceased.
Stealing another glance, Bellenshed saw them breaking off to the flanks. First and second squads got in position and continued to fire over the heads of their targets. Though there was little in the way of cover out to the west, several soldiers went prone behind whatever they could find and returned fire. The shots were well-aimed and carried a significant punch, as evidenced by the chunks they were blowing off of the buildings. He spoke into his radio.
“Shoot to kill. First squad, wait until third squad is at least halfway across the dam, then begin falling back.”
There was enough distance between the buildings and the dam that third squad made it to the halfway point without catching any fire. By then, the Vastus soldiers had them in enfilade, and third squad began falling back by pairs while returning fire from behind the guard rails. First squad began their movement just as a pair of Shrike fighters screamed overhead, heading west before beginning a turn back toward the action.
“Shrike Mark Sevens,” someone said into their radio.
“Shit! Bravo team, third squad, get your AAM into action, now!”
The fighters set themselves up for a strafing run along the road. The private with the anti-aircraft missile launcher in Bravo team must not have needed any prompting from Bellenshed, as it was mere seconds later that a missile shot from the dam toward the fighters. The first one tried to dodge it, but the ordnance had already locked on. The impact and explosion sent the fighter tumbling down the south side of the dam, cutting a long gouge in the concrete before crashing into the river. The second fighter opened up with its 40mm cannon, ripping up the surface of the roadway and smashing the hastily-constructed guard shack into splinters. At that point there was so much dust in the air, Bellenshed couldn’t see any of first squad, third squad, or the enemy soldiers.
“We’ve got casualties,” said 3rd squad’s sergeant.
“AAM gunners, get ready! First squad, help grab the wounded and get the hell off the dam! Second squad, let’s go.”
Bellenshed and his squad laid down a hellish fusillade of covering fire, then sprinted toward the dam. Shots followed them through the haze. He could hear the Shrike coming in for another pass, but kept his attention on the road. Another missile went airborne, but the gunner must not have had a positive lock before firing, as the missile moved in a straight path to the west and disappeared into the sky. Cannon shells began impacting the asphalt around him, and the man next to him went down. He reached down to help him up, only to find that he’d been blown in half. He heard the next missile launch, and looked up just in time to see it impact the fighter. Though it appeared to be a solid hit, the pilot managed to keep his craft in the air.
What was left of 1st squad continued to fall back by pairs, though some were too encumbered with carrying wounded men to return fire. The wind began to clear the dust clouds from the top of the dam, revealing carnage. There wouldn’t be many injuries to treat; the 40mm cannon had made sure of that. On the other side of the dam, the road turned to the south, and 2nd and 3rd squads were already almost to the edge of the energy shield. Abruptly, all firing ceased. The Vastus troops had stopped on the west side of the dam, and the Shrike was nowhere to be seen.
About a quarter of a kilometer down the road, there was a cluster of warehouses. Bellenshed directed his troops to head that way. Fortunately for them, the first building they stumbled into was abandoned, and 1st platoon piled inside. They set up a hasty perimeter, then dragged their wounded into what turned out to be the shipping and receiving office. After quickly checking on their injuries, the grim truth came out. Only one of the men they’d been carrying was still alive. His left leg had been blown off at the knee, but his combat armor had automatically applied a tourniquet to his thigh. He would survive, if he could get to a skilled surgeon in a reasonable amount of time.
Bellenshed scanned the office with his PDA, then did the same with the warehouse interior. “Radiation levels here are negligible. When we’re sure we’re not being pursued, you can take off your helmets.”
1st squad’s sergeant approached him. “I have the casualty report, sir. Twelve dead, one wounded. We’re green on ammo, except for the AAMs, and green on food and water.”
“Fucking hell. All right, third squad is no more. Consolidate supplies and reorganize the squads. We’ll move out and rendezvous with Captain Marcon. We can only hope he and his contingent are having better luck.”
