Stone Soldiers 4: Shades of War (12 page)

They were all over the news now. A massive army of what appeared to be Civil War re-enactors, marching slowly east, away from Antietam. The army had progressed steadily, slowing for nothing. Fences, walls, even roads with traffic had parted before them. What they did not trample beneath their boots they seemed to pass through, wraithlike.

Emergency Responders had been the first to arrive at the Antietam National Battlefield- finding dead and injured everywhere. Survivors were seemingly insane, reporting the strange army had formed from thin air, then hacked, slashed and stabbed their way through the park before disappearing to the east.

The army hadn't taken long to find. Once out of the National Park, they had marched due east until they reached a major road. They then turned northeast, marching boldly along the road toward a town called Keedysville.

Oncoming traffic had been stumped by the soldiers marching side by side, shoulder to shoulder, up the road, taking up both lanes. The first few cars had even stopped, their drivers exiting to see what was going on. Volleys of spectral shot had torn the drivers to shreds, prompting those in their cars behind them to turn around and flee.

Traffic behind the formation had similarly been confused- several vehicles coming right up on the marching formation and honking horns loudly. When the army continued on, ignoring them, drivers had cursed and sworn then turned around and headed back.

The first police car to arrive also approached the formation from the rear. Officer David Gent had radioed in, asking if some kind of reenactment had been scheduled he wasn't familiar with. When dispatch had been as stumped as him, the Officer rolled right up behind the marching men, sounding his siren to get them to part for him.

Seeing that was ineffective, the Officer stopped his car, the lights still flashing, and jogged up on foot behind the marching formation.

"Hey, buddy," " Gent said, reaching out to pat a soldier on the shoulder.

Gent was surprised when his hand passed through the shoulder.

The Confederate whirled at the touch, revealing a face that seemed almost translucent. Gent couldn't see more as the soldier thrust forward with his rifle, stabbing Gent with a large bayonet, right through the stomach.

The officer gagged and dropped to his knees, the bayonet, now wraithlike, passing harmlessly up and out of him. He clawed feebly at his pistol as blood poured down his pants. The ghost that had stabbed him then turned away, fading and breaking apart like smoke. The wisps of gray swept back to the formation quickly, then reformed into a soldier- marching in step with his comrades once more.

Officer Gent fell to the pavement, trying to reach for his radio before he blacked out.

***

Onboard the Detachment's jet, anxiety filled the air. The huge aircraft had suddenly diverted course, swinging northwest, away from their goal of Washington.

"It makes sense," Victor said, "Antietam was the bloodiest battle of the Civil War. Thousands died in one day."

"Thousands?" Josie asked. She could feel a cold chill creep up her back.

"We don’t need to worry about the ghosts," Colonel Kenslir snapped, looking around at his team. "They'll eventually run out of energy and fade away. We need to take out their leader- the source of their power."

"Take out an indestructible, flying man who can move from body to body?" Laura said sarcastically. "Sounds easy."

"She's got a point, boss," Captain Smith said. "Even with four of us and you, all we did was succeed in driving him away."

"Leave Kerrick to me," Kenslir said. "I've stopped him before- I'm sure I can do it again."

"What about the ghosts?" Pam Keegan asked, looking up from a report she'd been reading. "They slaughtered nearly a hundred people at the National Park. We can't just let them wander around 'til they run out of steam."

Kenslir looked around at his three remaining stone soldiers. "You men will directly assault his forces. That should tie them up and draw him out for me."

"What about us?" Josie asked, indicating herself, Jimmy and Laura.

"I'm going with them," Laura said. When everyone seemed surprised, she crossed her arms. "You're a man short- and I'm every bit as good as any man."

"Can you fight a ghost?" Victor asked, surprised.

"I'm an etherical being too," the Doctor said. "I can hold my own with them."

Kenslir nodded in agreement. "Fine. Josie- you, Jimmy and Pam will stay aboard and watch over our guest."

"Can we use the kid?" Smith asked. "He does have the same powers as Kerrick."

Kenslir frowned, clearly against the idea. "He's a kid- and he has no training or experience with his abilities. He'll be safer here in the air."

"Keep on your toes," Kenslir added. "If Kerrick touches you... you've seen what happens." He nodded to Jimmy.

"Maybe I can drain him- like I can the boy," Laura suggested.

"No." Kenslir looked around at the team with a stern, warning look. "This is an opponent you cannot defeat. He can see and hear with his mind. He can move faster and is stronger than any mortal creature- and most immortal ones. He can heal any wound, nearly instantly, and he has a form of pyrokinesis that may be able to even burn you stone soldiers."

"How did you ever defeat him before?" Josie asked, worried.

"I have one advantage- Kerrick can't sense me with any of his extrasensory abilities. My own ability to cancel out etheric energy puts me on an even footing with him- provided I can get the drop on him."

"How do you plan to do that?" Phillips asked. "He'll be expecting us, won't he?"

Kenslir checked his watch. "We're about thirty minutes out from the drop zone. Everyone double check their gear. Olson- with me. Let's get you suited up."

Laura smiled and fell into step with the Colonel as he led her toward the rear of the plane.

The first helicopters to reach the ghost army belonged to local news stations that had intercepted the police and ambulance radio traffic at Antietam. The press had quickly theorized this was some kind of terrorist attack and sent their teams out in force.

They located the army as it was marching out of Keedysville.

The small town was on fire now. Bodies lay in the streets and in their cars, stabbed and shot by the spectral army that had moved through the center of town with unyielding force.

Military helicopters soon arrived- three Blackhawks carrying soldiers ready to deploy. They circled the marching army cautiously then fired warning shots. But the spectral army continued on, undaunted.

Door gunners in the Blackhawk helicopters opened fire next, raking the marching troops with streams of lead from mounted, multi-barreled, vulcan miniguns. But the streams of bullets passed harmlessly through the spirits, tearing up only topsoil and pavement.

Finally, one gunner spied the flying man, hovering just over the head of the long formation of marching forms. Dressed in jeans and a t-shirt, the bearded, muscled man looked different from his ghostly army. He didn't shimmer or sparkle in the sunlight, and seemed somehow more solid. The gunner sighted his multi-barreled minigun and let loose a stream of lead.

Clint Kerrick frowned when the stream of bullets splattered against him like hard rain. He had been intent on keeping his forces moving ever eastward. Having them use their energy to move more swiftly would have been possible, but the slow march was more likely to instill terror in those who knew they were approaching. Especially after the massacre at Keedysville.

Kerrick now swept up into the air, leaving the marching formation behind. He closed with the first helicopter, smashing through the tail boom and removing it like a human missile. The helicopter began to spin wildly out of control without a tail rotor to counter the rotational force of the main rotor. The aircraft spiraled to the ground and exploded in a great fireball.

Kerrick now moved to the second helicopter- a blur of flesh and bone that smashed through another tailboom and sent the second Blackhawk also spiraling down to earth and its destruction.

The third transport banked and tried to fly away. But Kerrick wanted to prove a point. He swept after it, accelerating to supersonic speed for just a moment. As his flight produced a window-rattling sonic boom across the countryside, he removed the third helicopter's tail rotor, then raced back to his army.

At marching speed, it would take them over a day to reach Washington.

***

Jason Trumball was fuming. "Why can't I go with them?" he demanded again. He, Josie and Pam Keegan were all seated in the forward passenger compartment, watching news reports of the marching spectral army.

The Colonel feels you'll be safer up here," Josie said. Like Keegan, she now wore a tactical targeting visor and was monitoring their approach to the army on the ground. She sat across the aisle from Jason, her seat swiveled to face him as he sat facing forward, Pam Keegan beside him.

"He killed my parents," Jason growled, clenching his teeth.

"Kid," Pam said, thumping the TV monitor in the back of the seat ahead of Jason. "Even if you knew what to do with whatever abilities you've got- do you really think you'd stand a snowball's chance against that?"

Jason made tight fists and ground his teeth. "It isn't right."

"No," Josie said. "It's very right. What kind of people would we be if we let you go down there and get killed?"

"Don't worry," Pam said, placing a hand on Jason's shoulder. "The Colonel will get him."

At that very moment, in the rear of the plane, Colonel Kenslir didn't seem too sure of that. He was adjusting straps on the harness Dr. Olson had slipped on over her Air Force flightsuit. He checked each strap to make sure it was adjusted properly.

"I didn't know you cared so much," Laura purred, watching him.

"You won't do us any good if your chute doesn't work right."

Satisfied with the straps, Kenslir picked up a helmet and offered it to the vampire.

"No thanks- it'd just mess up my hair."

"You do realize you can't breathe at this altitude, right?" Kenslir said, still holding the helmet out.

"Please," Laura laughed. "I can hold my breath a
very
long time." She gave the Colonel a wink and licked her lips.

"Better charge up while you can," he said, extending a hand toward her.

Laura grabbed the hand as if to shake it then swept in quickly and pressed her lips on Kenslir's. A hand around the back of his neck kept him from leaning away. Blue-green light crackled and sparked from between their lips for a moment, then the Colonel was able to push her back, an angry look in his eyes.

"Oh, c’mon," Laura said, "This could be my last chance to win you ov-"

Kenslir abruptly put his hand over Laura's mouth, stifling any further comment. "Take it or leave it, Red."

Laura pouted, but took the hand in both hers. Again, blue-green light crackled and sparked where her skin met Kenslir's, energy drawing out of the Colonel and into her. When she could see a gray discoloration creeping up his neck, she stopped- but not before licking his palm.

Kenslir wiped his hand on his pant leg as he turned back to flesh, then reached up to the goggles over Laura's head and pulled them down over her eyes. "Stay in contact at all times." He said.

"Only if you promise me dinner when this is all over."

Kenslir frowned and turned to the three stone soldiers lined up in the small aft section of the plane. Each was trying to look in another direction, rather than at Kenslir and his vampiric admirer.

Just over twenty feet long, the small, pressurized cabin had a single door leading up to the main compartments, and a long ramp at the rear, that could be lowered for air drops. Barely five feet wide, the ramp was designed for troops, not equipment.

Each of the Stone Soldiers was ready- their small, iron lasers strapped against their chests, their tactical goggles in place over their eyes.

"Five minutes to drop!" Jimmy Kane said. He stood in the rear of the compartment, wearing a helmet and pressurized air mask. Holding onto the controls of the rear hatch with one hand, he gave a thumbs up to the Colonel.

"I'll follow you all down once Kerrick has been located." Kenslir said, then snapped his own oxygen mask up in place over his face, clipping it onto the black helmet he wore.

***

The road had opened into a wider area- trees giving way to open, deforested land on either side. The sign beside the road was an ad for some local caverns. It and a few houses along the sides of the road were pretty much all there were on the final approach to Boonsboro. Traffic had vanished- evacuated like the houses in the area.

Kerrick had expected more resistance by now. His army had been marching for several hours. Yet nothing had happened. The sun still hung overhead, nightfall still hours away.

The sound of rushing air alerted him. He glanced up and saw four forms hurtling downward. At about three hundred feet, great parachutes snapped opened, slowing the plummet of the skydivers.

Kerrick concentrated and looked closer, his mind seeing what his eyes could not. The lead parachutist was a woman- her long, wild red hair blowing in the wind behind her. She had dark, blood red lips and a creamy complexion. Something seemed off about her- and not just because she was wearing a military jumpsuit but carried no weapons.

Kerrick shifted his perception to the other three forms and inhaled sharply. Three men of stone- glowing brightly with magical energy. They were in gray and black camouflage now, and again had their laser weapons.

Clint laughed to himself. When they were four, the stone men had not been enough to stop him- what did they hope to achieve now that he had just over a thousand specters at his command?

As he watched, all four subjects cut loose from their parachutes a good hundred feet off the ground. They plummeted quickly, landing in soft grass and dirt north of the road.

Kerrick ignored the foursome, mentally commanding his army to engage them as he swung his gaze back to the skies. The men had to come from somewhere- yet he saw no plane. At least, not with his eyes of flesh.

Once more he reached out with his mind, peeling away the barriers of distance as he searched. Finally he found it- a four engined passenger jet, soaring high overhead- nearly thirty thousand feet up. It had to be the source of the jumpers- no other aircraft was in the sky for miles and miles.

Concentrating, he peered inside the plane, past the cockpit and into the passenger compartment. It was definitely a military craft- fitted with all sorts of communication devices and monitors. And a very unexpected passenger.

The clone's son. The fruit of this flesh's loins. On the plane, angrily staring out a window. Two women sat nearby- a blonde and a brunette. Both wore military jumpsuits.

Kerrick leapt into the air, streaking into the sky so fast he unleashed a sonic boom at ground level. If the humans thought this child could defeat him, why make them wait? He'd bring the fight to the sky.