Doom 3™: Worlds on Fire

12

TEREKSTAN BORDER

AS IF SOMEONE SUDDENLY THREW A SWITCH, THEbarrage that had been steadily streaking from Terekstan just ended. Kane thought that the pursuit had been half-hearted anyway. Once they had crossed the bridge, the possibility of a nasty little trap had disappeared. And no air support ever arrived for them…

That was the interesting part. Would have been a quick way to take them out—a few heavily armored Russian fighters could have made short work of Kane and his escaping company. So somehow, and from somewhere, an order had gone out. No air support, no firing missiles and plasma rockets at the escaping marines.

Not part of the deal, Kane imagined. The Russians get Terekstan and their oil. And once Kane and his troops were out of the bear trap, they were free to go, across the border and to safety.

Kane could see hills ahead, shadowy on this overcast night, no glow of moonlight to show what might lay behind. He sat on top of the surviving AAV and turned back to Gonzales. “Anything yet?”

“No, Lieutenant, still all dead, and—wait a second…Yes, we got it now. Sat links logging in, and now, yes, we got a full comm signal. They lifted it, Lieutenant. They lifted the blackout.”

Just as Kane thought they would. He had disobeyed orders but was now in safe territory, a U.S. ally.Now they have to talk to us.

Kane decided to initiate the conversation. He hit the comm button on his PDA. It flashed red, then green. A small screen appeared as it scanned for a signal, and bingo, he was once again linked into the massive communications network of the U.S. Department of Defense.

“Lieutenant John Kane, commander of Mustang Company, reporting in.”

Nothing for a second. Then a voice, just a radio operator, but tentative, careful. “Lieutenant Kane, we have your position. Proceed in your current vector for 3 point 2 klicks. Then you will come to full stop there, Lieutenant—and wait.”

Funny. We break into a town, save another marine company, lose a lot of good men, some maybe because they pulled the plug on all our data feeds. Now they’ll talk.Nowthey’ll fucking communicate.

“Copy that.”

He knew the AAV driver already had a map and course dumped into her onboard drives. They could actually sit back and let the New Pentagon steer them to the location. And just wait there? For what?

Kane shook his head. He wished Chadbourne was here. Be good to have him to talk to. The rest of the company—well, he didn’t have any personal relationship with them. He was the lieutenant—merely there to give the orders. No friendships blossoming here.

So he was left alone with his thoughts about what was ahead now…just 2 point 6 klicks ahead…2 point 5.

But he could well imagine.

Kane jumped off the AAV and stood on a flat area, a desolate plain filled with scraggly trees and dotted with clumps of bushes.

A bad thought occurred to him:We’re sitting ducks here. If something was going to happen, one couldn’t ask for a better ambush site. But no—there couldn’t be any ambush planned. Not if they were back on SatLink. The whole world could watch whatever went down here. Unlike the sacrifice in the city that the honchos at the New Pentagon had wanted.

“Lieutenant, order your troops to stand down.”

Kane nodded. No point having them attempting to look like a fighting army. And most of them didn’t have a clue that what they had done wasn’t about to be viewed as heroic or patriotic. That it was, in fact, a violation of a direct order. They’d learn soon enough.

“Lieutenant Kane, we will be rendezvousing with you in t-minus-60 seconds.”

“Roger that.”

And yes, now he heard the engines. Heavy-duty battle choppers, coming from the southeast. A lot of them, from the growing noise.

The marines, who had been sitting on the ground, quickly stood up.Easy, Kane thought.Just some of our own guys coming to take us home. Most of us, anyway.

Then the air above this low depression became ringed by the giant choppers, their tungsten lamps making it daylight. The marines on the ground covered their eyes.

Come on,Kane thought.Back the hell off. Turn off the damn light show. These poor bastards have just fought their way out of hell.

Kane watched as the massive choppers fired burners that turned them immediately vertical and then, like giant solemn totems, they lowered themselves to the ground.

One of his marines came up to Kane. “Lieutenant, should we do anything?”

“Yeah,” Kane said. “Watch. Should be an interesting show.”

The choppers came to rest girding the company. Kane hadn’t done a lot of time in them, but he knew that each interior could pivot on its own gimbal system so that whatever force was inside could be quickly disgorged. Each chopper could hold nearly a company, plus a few attack vehicles, all ready to erupt from the chopper’s belly in a heartbeat.

Which was exactly what happened.

With perfect timing, on someone’s command, the choppers’ doors flew open and marines streamed out. Fresh, unmarred from any battle. A few small armored vehicles rolled out of a pair of the choppers.

But mostly it was just marines. They fell into formation.

Kane heard a voice in his ear. “Lieutenant Kane, this is Captain Patel. Order your men to fall in and await orders from my lieutenants.”

Lieutenants? Guess I’m about to be relieved.

“Yes, sir.”

“Lieutenant, you will deliver your sidearms to Lieutenant Carp when he reaches your position. You will then be placed under military arrest.”

Kane could already see the newly arrived troops encircling his marines, while lieutenants barked orders.Careful here, Kane thought. His company and the one he rescued had been through a lot. Best not to overdo the gung-ho. He watched one group of marines—some of those who had been trapped inside the city—being marched toward one of the choppers.

“Lieutenant?” Kane turned to face another marine lieutenant who was looking at him, flanked by three soldiers, guns at the ready.

Kane glanced from the lieutenant to the accompanying soldiers, weapons ready.

“What do you think I’m going to do? Run? Fight?”

“Sorry, Lieutenant, but you must turn over your sidearm to me now.” Kane nodded. Not unexpected.

Military arrest. Then some months down the road, court-martial, then what? A cell in some bugfuck part of the U.S., maybe in the dust bowl? With crops a thing of the past, they needed the business.

“I understand,” Kane said. He smiled at the lieutenant, whose eyes seemed wide, worried.What the hell did they tell him about me? Watch out, he might snap, might go for his weapon. Maybe they’d like that.

Kane gestured at the shoulder strap for his machine gun and at the holder for his pistol. “You mind?”

The lieutenant shook his head. “Best you let my men remove the weapon.”

“Right. Sounds good to me too.”

The young lieutenant nodded, and the three soldiers came over to Kane, their eyes on his as they removed first his machine gun, then his pistols, then began unclipping his thermite grenades from his vest. Until all his weapons were gone.

I’m nice and safe now,Kane thought.How much time will I get? Refusing a direct order in time of war. With war constant now, the military was on a permanent war footing. Couldn’t be sure, but had to be a long fucking time.

“Lieutenant Kane, pursuant to the Articles of War and the 2126 Military Council Ruling, you will be put under military arrest and remanded back to the United States for court-martial.”

“The charge?” Kane said. He knew damn well what the charge was. But he wanted to hear this spiffy lieutenant say the word.

“Direct disobedience of an order while in combat.”

Kane smiled. He had disobeyed the order and saved twenty, thirty good marines.

“Yup, that’s what it was, Lieutenant. I’m ready to go when you are.”

But his captor wasn’t done. “One more thing—” The lieutenant nodded to one of the marines with him, and the man grabbed Kane’s wrist.

He pulled Kane’s arms behind his back, while another guard placed cuffs on him. A beep signaled that the digital lock on the cuffs was closed. Only one thing could get Kane out of those cuffs—a code.

He noticed some of his own company looking back at the brightly lit scene.See, we’re about to screw one of our own. Just for you…

Kane thought that now the show might be over. But the lieutenant walked close and ripped the silver bars from his shoulder.

“You won’t be needing these anymore, Kane.”

Then the guards forcibly turned Kane around and steered him in the direction of a waiting chopper. An empty one, it appeared. Under orders, he imagined, to take the war criminal directly back to the States…and to face his fate.