Authors: Robert Storey
‘Do it.’
More rockets wove through the air to obliterate the massive border gates.
Hilt came back on the internal speaker system throughout the convoy. ‘Inform our civilian passengers we will be experiencing some rough terrain and they will need to brace themselves for possible impact. Darklight personnel, as we cross into Mexico we will be engaged by hostiles. Do not return fire on civilian guards on either side. I repeat, do not fire upon civilian targets.’
Shortly afterwards, the convoy smashed through the remains of the tanks and then barrelled on through the debris of the gates. The huge transporter heaved and rolled as it caught the sides of the narrow passageway as it shouldered its way through. Bullets whizzed all around them, raining down on the armoured skin of the vehicle as the border guards opened fire on both sides.
Federali patrol cars barricaded the Mexican side of the crossing. Goodwin saw men running out of the way as the Darklight train broke through, sending the bodies of mangled cars high into the air. And then they were through, the United States behind them and what was hopefully the relative safety of Mexico ahead.
Goodwin turned his mic back on. ‘Well done, Commander, that was – very frightening. But excellent work, you got us through.’
‘We took some casualties, but they were less than I had feared.’
‘Let’s hope we can make it to Sanctuary without any further incidents,’ Goodwin said.
‘I fear your hope may be misplaced,’ Hilt told him. ‘We have incoming contacts from the air.’
Goodwin looked heavenward.
Can’t we get any breaks?
he pleaded silently.
Chapter Twenty Two
‘Targets are closing on our position, Commander,’ Hilt’s lieutenant said.
Hilt accessed the convoy’s intercom, this time speaking to the passenger compartments, too. ‘We have inbound hostiles; brace for impact.’
Goodwin heard screams and shouts of terror and despair emanating from behind him in the main compartment of his personnel carrier as the Darklight officer’s warning came through.
Goodwin looked at a screen to his left; it showed multiple red dots bearing down on a central white mark, which he knew represented their particular vehicle. Preparing himself for the inevitable air strike, his body tensed and his fingers clenched into his perspiring palms. Digital warning indicators flashed and beeped as the imminent threat bore down on them – and then the dots shot past, accompanied by the sound of multiple jet engines roaring through the dark daytime sky above.
‘Commander, we haven’t been fired upon or even targeted; they’re Mexican F22s out of Santa Gertrudis!’
‘Lieutenant, get our gunships to dock. I want them out of the air, NOW!’
‘Yes, sir!’
‘The Mexican Raptors must have been scrambled to protect the border,’ Hilt said. ‘The U.S. Army’s drones and our Sabres from the Phoenix must have triggered a threat protocol.’
Goodwin adjusted his headset’s microphone. ‘I think our border crossing might have thrown up some red flags, too.’
‘Without a doubt,’ Hilt said. ‘The supersonic aerial threat will overshadow our entry, however; their priority will be to protect their airspace. The attack may have played into our hands a little.’
‘There’s no pursuit by Mexican forces from the border, sir,’ the lieutenant said, ‘and the U.S. drones are bugging out.’
‘Delta Niner, this is Black Leader; return to the Phoenix. Targets are no longer a threat. I repeat, disengage and return to base.’
‘Copy that, Black leader. Delta Niner out.’
‘Perhaps our luck is finally turning?’ Goodwin said.
‘Perhaps,’ Hilt replied.
Goodwin got the impression the Darklight officer wasn’t one to believe in luck. ‘Good fortune shouldn’t be underestimated, Commander,’ Goodwin said encouragingly. ‘Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth and all that.’
‘I admire your optimism, sir, but I’ll only relax once our mission is complete.’
Goodwin knew Hilt was right. A lot still had to be accomplished before they were safely ensconced in Sanctuary. It was six hundred miles to the co-ordinates Professor Steiner had sent to his phone during their evacuation from U.S.S.B. Steadfast. Hilt believed it would take two days to reach the location and predicted a slower final leg due to the elevation they had to climb. Goodwin signed off from his coms exchange with the commander and took his turn to talk to the convoy at large. After he’d hopefully calmed some frayed nerves, he took a seat back next to Kara in the main compartment.
‘You look a little pale,’ he said as he sat down.
‘You don’t look the essence of calm yourself,’ Kara said, taking the sting out of her words with a smile.
Goodwin grinned as some of his tension left him. ‘It’s certainly not the dullest ride in history, I’ll give it that.’
Kara leant over and gave him a peck on the cheek. His heart began beating faster again and this time it wasn’t due to fear, which made a pleasant change. ‘What was that for?’ he said, mollified.
‘Just a thank you for your efforts, I think we’re all very grateful to have you in charge.’ She gave him a smile that could have disarmed a legion. ‘
I’m
very grateful.’
Goodwin swallowed nervously.
Is she coming on to me?
She was very attractive, of that there was no doubt.
So what’s the problem?
he asked himself. ‘I’ll just go and see how our new guests are coping. I think I need to explain our situation to them a little better.’
Kara was still smiling at him knowingly as he moved off down the corridor with a sense of confusion. Shaking off the feeling, he put it to one side as he reached the stairs and made his way down to the next level. ‘Where are the people we picked up in Albuquerque?’ he asked a soldier who sorted through an armaments cabinet.
‘Next level down, near the middle,’ she told him.
Thanking her, he carried on down the stairs to the lowest floor. The noise of the transporter increased as he reached the bottom. The engines were situated beneath his feet and as he squeezed past some people sitting on the floor, the vibrations of the combustion process pulsed through his legs, an alien experience to that of normal civilian electric transport, and a lot louder, too. The noise, however, was perhaps a good thing as it should have masked the sounds of the gunfight and the explosions occurring outside; Goodwin hoped so, anyway, as their guests had been through enough already.
He spotted the young woman he’d met briefly on the roadside; she was surrounded by her group. The young disabled man who sat next to her was looking the worse for wear, but he seemed happy enough.
Goodwin moved closer and she turned, noticing his presence. ‘Hi, there,’ he said, ‘I hope you’re settling in okay. Have you been offered any drink or food?’
‘We have, thank you,’ she said. ‘The soldiers’ ration packs aren’t the tastiest, but they’re better than nothing.’
‘I’m Richard Goodwin, by the way; I don’t know if you remember, I was with you briefly back in the city?’
A pained expression flitted across her face at the memory and Goodwin instantly regretted the reference.
‘Vaguely,’ she said, getting up and indicating they should talk elsewhere.
Understanding, he led the way back to the relative space of the staircase; she sat down on the third step and held out her hand. ‘I’m Rebecca,’ she said. ‘Are you in charge?’
‘At the moment I am,’ he said, shaking her hand. ‘I think I need to explain our situation to you a little. I fear I may have placed you in more danger than you were in previously.’
‘Even if that were the case, I would take here over there any day. You’ve provided us with shelter, food, water and medical assistance. I – we – can’t thank you enough.’
‘You may have noticed we have been through some scrapes and that we have been—’ He tapered off as he struggled to define their situation.
‘Under attack?’ she said.
‘Exactly, thank you. I’m sorry, I’m not really cut out for this kind of military excursion, if that’s what you would call it. I’m a civilian, I work for the GMRC.’
‘I see. I originally thought you were part of the city’s authorities and were regaining control, but you’re not, are you?’ she said, more as a statement than a question.
‘No. We’re not National Guard or U.S. military. Darklight are a private security contractor that we use to carry out certain tasks.’
‘By “we” you mean the GMRC?’
‘Correct. I’m actually in charge of a more covert side of the GMRC, but I can’t really tell you any more until I know whether you will be staying with us.’
‘Are you planning on getting rid of us, then?’ she said with some concern.
‘No! No, of course not, but I’d like to give you a choice. We’re heading to a facility in Mexico which requires the highest security clearance and I can’t disclose anything further until I know if you will be joining us or not.’
‘Can you drop us off somewhere?’
‘We can and that is the alternative to staying with us.’
‘I don’t know where we could go. Perhaps to another home somewhere … they might take care of us until we are relocated.’
‘That is certainly an option, but there is a small problem.’
Rebecca gave him a questioning look.
‘We’re in Mexico.’
‘Mexico? Is that what all the fighting was about, we were crossing the border?’
Goodwin nodded. The woman looked a little shocked, but she was taking it all better than he’d expected. She was a tough one and no mistake.
‘And you can’t turn round?’ she said perceptively.
‘No. I’m afraid not.’
‘Then I think that seals it; we’ll have to go with you. I don’t speak Spanish and I wouldn’t be able to take care of myself, let alone a whole group of people.’
Goodwin wanted to apologise again, but it wasn’t really appropriate in the circumstances. ‘I’d like to be able to say I can guarantee your safety,’ he said instead, ‘but I don’t think I can.’
‘Considering what’s going on out there at the moment I don’t think anyone can guarantee anyone else’s safety anywhere.’
‘I think we are through the worst of the danger,’ Goodwin said, hoping to reassure her.
‘Then that will have to do,’ she replied with finality.
‘All right then.’ Goodwin clasped his hands together in thought. ‘I’ll try to explain our situation a little better.’ He hesitated before continuing. ‘I work in an underground facility in Dulce; its purpose is to protect our way of life against the effects of the meteor and other events which threaten the United States and this planet.’
‘Such as?’
‘Solar flares, super volcanoes, nuclear war – things like that. The facility we were in was evacuated due to … well, I’m not exactly sure why, but we were evacuated and told to relocate to a second underground base in Mexico. The problem is, we may have trouble getting into this new facility as we may not be welcome. I can’t really go into any more detail right now, but that about sums it up.’ Goodwin thought his explanation sounded lame, but Rebecca didn’t seem to agree.
‘I understand, Mr. Goodwin.’
‘Richard, please.’
‘Richard,’ she said. ‘I understand you can’t tell me everything, especially if it’s all top secret. You’ve taken good care of us so far and I’m happy to put my faith in you; I just didn’t expect the meteor to affect everything so much, so fast; it’s a little overwhelming. I suppose you’re more used to this sort of thing.’
‘You’d think,’ Goodwin said, ‘but to be honest, the dust cloud has taken everyone by surprise. An event of such magnitude can never be fully predicted and the best laid plans can always go awry. It’s our job to adapt; I think that’s what life is all about really, adaptation to circumstance. That’s certainly been my experience, anyway, and it’s been especially true over these last few days.’
‘I suppose the real test is how you adapt, positively or negatively,’ Rebecca said.
Goodwin smiled. ‘Ah, now that’s the trick, isn’t it? We either embrace the light or let in the dark and then deal with that decision and its consequences.’
Rebecca smiled politely in response and stood up. ‘I’d better get back to Joseph and the others,’ she said, looking tired.
‘Oh, there is one final thing; wait here for a moment.’ He went up the stairs to find the Darklight contractor he’d spoken to on his way down. He found her still checking through bits of kit. ‘Have you got any spare armour I can borrow?’ he asked her. ‘It doesn’t need to be anything special.’
‘Sure.’ The woman delved around in a compartment. ‘Here you go.’ She passed a heavy armour-plated helmet to him.
‘Perfect, thanks,’ he said, and returned back downstairs, where he handed the helmet to Rebecca. ‘Here, your friend might like this to play with; it should go well with his jacket.’
‘His name is Joseph and he’ll love it, thank you.’
Goodwin bid Rebecca farewell and went back upstairs a lot happier now that he knew she was up to speed on their position, and that she and her group were now officially under his care. He eased along the rows to his seat, where Kara chatted to someone next to her. She flashed him a smile as he sat down and he returned it, still unsure whether she was flirting with him and wondering what to do about it if she was. Feeling tired himself, he decided to get some shut-eye while things were relatively calm. It had been an exhausting day and it wasn’t over yet.
♦
It seemed mere moments since Goodwin had closed his eyes when he awoke with a start. Kara was asleep next to him, as were many others, he noted, as he looked around. Disorientated, he sat for a moment gathering his thoughts. He looked at his watch: it was 3.30 a.m.; he must have needed his sleep and the fact he got it also meant that they hadn’t experienced any further problems; otherwise someone would have woken him. Realising he wasn’t getting back to sleep again anytime soon, he got up and stretched out his back. A satisfying cracking sound in his vertebrae was perceptible as he twisted from right to left. Taking a couple of steps to the door of the cab, he knocked and entered.
‘Good morning, Director,’ the driver said to him as he appeared.