Trident Fury (The Kurgan War Book 3) (3 page)

Cole nudged Sheridan in the ribs and indicated with his head at a row of tall objects covered by tarps. It was apparent from the shape and size that they had found the missing air-defense missiles.
 

Smith led them past the missiles and down to a set of stairs that led underground. They walked along for a couple of minutes before coming to the room that housed the compound’s generator. Smith typed his passcode into a panel on the wall. The door slid open. He turned to face Cole. “Okay, I’ve lived up to my part of the bargain. I’ve gotten you inside and now I’m leaving before you get caught.”

“Just a minute,” replied Cole, grabbing Smith by the arm and pushing him into the room.

“I’m not getting anything,” Sheridan said, tapping his hearing aide. Built into his earpiece was a powerful receiver-transmitter. Until a minute ago he had been able to hear comms chatter from the ships waiting on the far side of the planet to begin their assault.

“Perhaps all the metal down here is blocking your signal.”

“No. I should be able to still hear the
Orleans
,” he responded, mentioning their assault ship.

“You won’t be able to receive or transmit anything inside the compound,” Smith explained.

“Why?” Cole asked.

“Not only has Abbas installed a satellite scrambler, he also had a comms shield installed a year ago to prevent anyone from doing what you’re trying to do. He’s paranoid about his security. I’m sure you’ve heard that there have been several attempts on his life in the past. All of them failed, and the clans that tried to kill him were slaughtered. Not even the women and children were spared. He’s an animal.”

“We’ve found the missiles, but we haven’t found where they are being controlled from,” said Sheridan. “Until we know where that is, we’re not leaving.”

“What do you want to do?” Cole asked.

Sheridan looked around until he found a toolbox. He opened it up and took out most of the tools. “I’m going to go for a quick walk around the compound. If I get stopped, I’ll simply say that I was sent to find more tools to fix the heater. You can keep an eye on Smith until I get back.”

“Don’t you think I should go?”

Sheridan smiled. Cole never changed. If there was a dangerous assignment, he was the first to volunteer. “It’s okay, I’m supposed to be an on-the-job trainee. Not knowing one tool from another will come in handy.”

“If you’re not back in fifteen minutes, I’m coming after you.”

“I hope to be long gone from here by that time.”

Sheridan picked up the toolbox and made his way back outside. Snow had begun to fall from the cloud-covered sky. Sheridan pulled up his hood and walked back toward the missile battery. At the first launcher, he put his toolbox down and bent to tie his laces. As before, he checked that he wasn’t being followed. He brought his head up and looked for an obvious spot to house the computer system that controlled the Skybolt missiles. It took him only a few seconds to eliminate all the nearest buildings except for one which was guarded by two men in full armor. He stood up and walked toward the mercenaries.
 

One of the guards saw him coming and pointed his assault rifle at Sheridan. “Stop where you are. What do you want?”

Sheridan stopped in his tracks and pointed to his toolbox. “My boss told me to go and look for something he called a sonic spanner. I thought there might be one in that building.”

“You thought wrong. Now move along or I’ll be forced to shoot you.”

Sheridan stepped back. “Whoa, there. There’s no need for that. I’m leaving.” As he took another step, he saw the door to the building open and a man move outside to confer with the guards. In the brief moment, he saw military-grade computers stacked in their hardened cases sitting against the far wall.

“I said move along,” warned the mercenary, charging his weapon.

Sheridan spun about and began to walk quickly back the way he came. His mind was a whirl. He doubted that the assault force would spot the missiles before they were launched if Abbas were jamming everything around his compound. He and Cole had to find a way to either mark the command center for destruction or neutralize it themselves.
 

A young girl’s voice cried out.

Sheridan turned his head and stopped walking when he saw a group of at least thirty young girls being forced into the back of a couple of transports. As the vehicles drove past him, Sheridan swore under his breath when he saw that the girls all looked to be no older than thirteen or fourteen years of age. His gut churned at the thought that the girls were most likely about to be moved off-world and sold into prostitution. He hurried back to Cole and passed on what he had discovered.

Sheridan asked Smith. “Those girls, do you know when they are scheduled to be flown out of here?”

The mechanic shook his head. “I have no idea. Abbas is hosting several other clans here tonight. Perhaps he intends to auction off the girls at that time?”

“Makes sense,” said Cole. “Any idea where this might occur?”

“In Boss Abbas’ home. He has several tunnels built under his mansion. I’d bet good money that the girls will be held there.”

Sheridan checked his watch. Time was running out. “I need to get outside of the compound so I can tell the
Orleans
where the missiles are, and more importantly, where the command center is.”

Cole grabbed Smith and pushed him toward the door. “Okay, mate, lead on and don’t even think about trying anything foolish on the way out. I can snap your neck faster than you can call for help.”

They walked back up onto the open ground. It did not take long for them to spot the front gate. Everyone picked up the pace. When they were less than fifty meters from the exit, a couple of armored vehicles came out of nowhere, sped past them, came to a screeching halt, and turned their weapons on the three men. The ten-wheeled metal beasts each had a turret with a cannon and four anti-tank launchers on it.

“Stop where you are and raise your hands over your heads,” warned a voice from a nearby guard tower.

“You piece of crap. How much did they pay you to rat us out?” said Cole to Smith.

“A hell of a lot of credits. I’ve got debts to pay and a family to feed,” replied Smith as he stepped to one side and waved up at the guard in the tower.
 

Sheridan and Cole looked at one another and then raised their hands in surrender.

The ramp at the back of one of the armored vehicles lowered. A squad of mercenaries ran out and rushed to take up positions around the two Marines. From behind them, another personnel carrier drove up and stopped. The ramp dropped and an obese man wearing a gold-colored suit and parka stepped out.

“You have done well,” said the man to Smith.

“Thank you, Mister Abbas,” replied Smith.

“Kill him,” ordered Abbas.

“No!” pleaded Smith. A split second later, a shot rang out. Smith’s head blew apart from the impact. His dead body tumbled to the ground.

Abbas walked over to the men guarding Cole and Sheridan. “Good afternoon, gentlemen. My name is Salih Abbas. There is no need for you to introduce yourselves, I know precisely who you are. Welcome to my home, Captain Michael Sheridan and Mater Sergeant Alan Cole of the Marine Corps.”

“How long have you known who we are?” Sheridan asked.

“Oh, not very long. My late mechanic’s wife called me and told me that you were on your way. When you arrived at the front gate, I had your faces scanned by my UAV and in less than a minute, I had copies of your service records on my computer.”

“Sweet,”
mumbled
said Cole. “I thought only the Kurgs had access to our files.”

“Surprise,” replied Abbas.

Sheridan looked over at the bloodied corpse lying on the ground. “Why did you kill Smith?”

“Smith?” said Abbas. “Oh, you mean Mister Phillips. He showed me that he could not be trusted, and loyalty is what I treasure above all else. His wife, on the other hand, has earned my undying trust and ten thousand credits for selling all of you out.”

“Wonderful place you’ve got here,” said Cole.

“Please lower your arms. You look foolish,” said Abbas. “Now, gentlemen, if you will promise to behave, I won’t have you shackled and dragged behind one of the APCs.”

Both men dropped their arms.

“I can play ball,” said Cole.

“I guess we don’t have much choice now, do we?” added Sheridan.

“No, you don’t,” said Abbas.
 

Sheridan was led at gunpoint into the back of one of the armored vehicles and Cole the other. The ride to Abbas’ home took only a couple of minutes. Once there, the two Marines were escorted up to the second floor of Abbas’ palatial home. Everything inside the home was either made of gold or was made to look like it was. They were moved by a couple of guards out onto a balcony overlooking a large pit dug into the ground.

Sheridan looked down. Even through the blowing snow, he could see the ground. His stomach turned when he saw the remains of several people scattered about.
 

“There is so little entertainment out here,” said Abbas, sounding bored. “Profits are always high, but I do miss the social circuit back on Earth.”

“I guess the rumors are true,” said Sheridan. “You do feed people to animals for fun.”

Abbas smiled. “Yes, I like to use Arctotherium augustidens. Although it isn’t native to this planet, I’ve always been fascinated with giant bears, so I had a couple brought here. As you can see by the remains, my pets are well fed.”

“How big are these giant bears?” asked Cole, peering below

“These two are truly marvelous specimens. Both are over five meters long and weigh in excess of eighteen hundred kilograms.”

“I don’t get it, Abbas. Why are you bothering to explain any of this to us?” Sheridan asked.

“Two reasons. I enjoy theatrics; it’s a throwback to my college days.
a
And secondly, because, my dear captain, I know all about your pitiful force of Marines on the far side of the planet. I was able to buy your task force’s order of battle and operational orders for less than I would have expected.”

Abbas glanced down at his watch. “When your friends begin their assault in precisely fifteen minutes, they will do so straight into my air-defense missiles. Those that survive the initial barrage will be quickly rounded up by my people and brought here as entertainment for my guests. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have other business to attend to.”

Sheridan and Cole were grabbed from behind and dragged back inside.

“Boss, what do you want us to do with these two?” asked a white-haired guard with a deep scar running down his grizzled face.

“Take them below and lock them up with the other prisoners,” replied Abbas. “When their comrades begin to fall from the sky, throw them both into the pit with the bears. They can die knowing just how badly they and their pathetic friends have failed.”

Chapter 3

The first thing Sheridan and Cole
smelt
smelled when the elevator opened was the musky smell of the bears pacing back and forth in their cages at the far end of the dimly lit hallway.
 

Sheridan was pushed from behind. “Walk or I’ll shoot you in the leg,” warned one of the guards. “It’ll slow you down for the bears.”

“Yeah, they won’t have to work too hard for their supper meal for a change,” added another mercenary.

Sheridan stood up straight and began to walk, with Cole keeping pace right beside him. As they walked past the first row of cells, a hand reached out and grabbed Cole’s arm.

“Help us,” pleaded a terrified girl.

Cole turned his head and smiled. He gently took the girl’s hand off his arm. “Just hold tight, love. This will all soon be over.”

“For you maybe,” said the white-haired guard.

“You know, your face looks familiar,” said Cole to the guard.

“As does yours. I take it you were in the First Division a few years back.”

Cole snapped his fingers. “Yeah. Now I remember you. You were turfed out of the service for selling drugs.”

“Parade square soldiering got to be too dull, so I branched out into more lucrative work.”

Cole spat on the ground. “If you think working for someone like Abbas makes you better than me, you’ve lost your mind.”

“Whatever, soldier boy. I’m not the one about to be fed to a bear.”

Sheridan knew that Cole was trying to drag things out as long as possible. With four guards covering them
. I
, it was going to take split-second timing to overwhelm them before they could raise the alarm. Although they had been scanned by the guards at the front gate for concealed weapons, the scanner they used failed to detect the ceramic blades hidden in the folds of both men’s clothes.

“Quit stalling and get moving,” said the old mercenary.

Out of the corner of his eye, Sheridan saw Cole nod. It was time. With a practiced move, Sheridan pretended to trip over his own feet. His right hand reached for his belt and grabbed hold of one of his concealed knives. He turned to his right and jammed his blade straight into the neck of the closest guard.