Chapter Sixteen
Millersville was under attack.
They’d left the Norwood ranch on schedule and driven for a few hours before Cody let out an abrupt exclamation. “Captain, hostiles making a run on the town’s main barricade.”
“Pull over,” Jeff directed Zach. “Show us.”
Cody projected his drone’s holo feed into the well of the APC and after one horrified glance, Tamsyn closed her eyes and swallowed bile. There was a full scale attack going on, with men in pickup trucks firing their heavy weapons at the defenders on the hastily built walls and launching explosives into the town behind. A man fell off the wall, cut nearly in half by blaster fire as one of the trucks swerved violently and blew up as a marksman on the wall targeted their engine.
It wasn’t an exciting entertainment holo where all the actors would rise to their feet as soon as the director called ‘cut’. This was real and ugly and people were dying. She couldn’t comprehend how in this time of the infected apocalypse, humans could be killing each other instead of fighting the common enemy. There was a military discussion going on around her, which she ignored but gathered they were going to intervene.
“Going from bad to worse,” Cody announced grimly. “The sound is attracting groups of infected. They’ll combine into a swarm and then everyone’s in trouble.”
“All right, I’ve seen enough.” Jeff’s voice was hard. “We’ll ride in with everything we have blazing and take out as many of Ruger’s people as we can. I want you to launch your new toy and drop the bombs on his camp as well. Maybe those prisoners we saw can engineer an escape in the chaos. I want Ruger to be totally off balance.”
“Drone going aloft now, sir,” Cody said.
“Ladies, Mike, I want the three of you and the dog seated together in the rear,” Jeff said. “Nothing I’ve seen out there can penetrate our hull but the ride is going to be rough and ugly and you don’t need to see the details. Please move to your new seats now.”
Hastily Tamsyn joined the doctor and her brother, with Buddy lying on the floor between them.
“Hang on,” Jeff shouted.
She heard him issuing the order to move out to Zach and Ryan over the subaural com and the hair on her arms stood on end as the weapons system in the APC charged up. The vehicle began to move, faster and faster until she thought they could be flying. Certainly they’d never gone this fast before. Tamsyn had no idea how far it was to Millersville but all too soon the APC rocked and shuddered as the megablaster on the roof unleashed its hellfire and the other weapons on board started firing.
Mike was hanging on to Buddy for dear life and she and Melly held hands as the APC rocked and veered and the sound of the megacannon and the other weapons the APC possessed became deafening. She knew Jeff was controlling a number of automatic guns with the AI.
A tactical holo glowed in the well of the APC, showing the walls and the enemy in blinking red outlines, with the APC’s depicted as stark blazing white dots moving across the battlefield. She watched it from time to time, since the details weren’t graphic. At first Ruger’s forces were taken totally by surprise, pinched between the town’s defenders and the oncoming relief force, them. A number of the pickup trucks exploded as they were hit by the APC’s fire. The drivers of the remaining trucks tried to circle the two APC’s, possibly thinking they could surround and damage the military vehicles but they soon gave up the idea. Tamsyn heard the thunk of hits on the APC’s hull, which was protected in combat by a thin force shield and there was no effect. She speculated as to what kind of horrific weapon it would take to disable an APC and decided she didn’t want to know.
Bombs dropped on the camp, Cody reported via the subaural com. Ruger’s people in panicked disarray.
Taking another glance at the combat holo display, she was relieved to find the enemy retreating in a disorganized rush to get away, trucks going in all directions. Blasts from the APC caught the stragglers.
Do not pursue, Jeff ordered over the subaural link. We’ve done severe damage to his forces and driven the vultures off for today. Status on the swarm?
Still approaching, gathering strength. About three klicks away.
The APC slewed around and Tamsyn realized they were racing to confront the swarm. The megablaster fired again and as the perspective on the combat holo shifted, she saw the front ranks of the swarm falling as the beam swept across their ranks. She knew from the past discussions even the mighty APC’s couldn’t deter a full blown swarm attack so she was puzzled but then a beam from one of the other weapons set an abandoned fuel truck on the highway ablaze. The fire spread rapidly across the freeway behind them as whatever type of fuel the truck had carried spread, engulfing the horde and creating a temporary barrier of flame.
“This is Captain Jeff Pearson, Sectors Special Forces, requesting permission to enter the town,” Jeff said out loud, over the general comlink.
“Come on in and welcome, stranger,” said a voice full of enthusiasm. “We’ll open the gate in thirty seconds. Make it fast.”
“Will do. I want to speak to the mayor as soon as the gate is secure,” Jeff responded.
“He’ll be there. Millersville out.”
The vidscreens were active again now and Tamsyn watched as a portion of the barricade began to move aside. Zach aimed the APC at the opening and rumbled through, barely clearing the reinforced walls. She checked the rearview vid and APC2 was right on their bumper as usual. The street was barricaded again a little further ahead but they were waved into a side street, where Zach stopped and parked.
Jeff addressed them all. “I’m going out, with Cody on my six. The rest of you will stay safe inside, no matter what happens until I give the order to deploy, if I do. I’m going to talk to this guy and make it clear we’re only passing through but want to stay overnight at least, and I want information. They owe us now.”
“I need to get out there,” Melly said in a strained, urgent voice. “There must be so many wounded?—”
“I’ll discuss the possibility with the mayor as well but I’m not risking your safety.” Jeff’s jaw was clenched and he was in full military mode. “All right, this must be the mayor arriving now. Cody, you have my six.”
* * *
Cody squeezed Tamsyn’s shoulder as he passed to step up behind the captain. Together the two men exited the APC, going halfway to meet the man who’d just arrived in a beatup groundcar, flanked by bodyguards. Cody kept his weapon at the ready, poised to go into action if there was any threat to Jeff. The captain slung his pulse rifle and waited for the mayor to exit the vehicle.
