Invasion: Colorado

-13- Readjustments

Corporal Jake Higgins trudged along I-70. In the distance behind were the ruins of Greater Denver.

The bulk of the Chinese Army had pulled out several days ago. The remnants in the ruins shot at Jake and the others, but it was desultory fire. The danger came from sporadic artillery barrages.

“Incoming!” the Lieutenant shouted.

Jake sprinted off the freeway and hit the snow, hugging the ground. Shells roared overhead and slammed against the Earth. Jake felt the tremors and relaxed. From endless weeks, he knew the shells hadn’t landed near enough to hurt him.

“They’re taking revenge against us,” the Lieutenant said.

Jake looked up. Everyone around them was flat. They waited for more salvos. More didn’t come this time. The Chinese fired here and there at random, seemingly trying to catch soldiers by surprise. It was a petty way to make war, going for more wounded to make life miserable for the Americans. Like the others around him, Jake dragged himself to his feet and continued walking.

After a little while, Jake trudged past freshly killed soldiers. Companions dug graves for them.

“That’s lousy luck,” Goose said.

Jake nodded. After the endless weeks in the city, surviving flame-throwers, grenades, sniper fire, artillery and bombs, and now to die as they marched for freedom, it was rotten luck.

What a thing, Jake decided, his thoughts bouncing all over the place today. He’d survived the encirclement in Amarillo, Texas this summer. He’d survived the harrowing trek to Colorado and now it looked like he might survive the siege of Denver. If they reached Idaho Springs, they should be safe until the next venture. It would be nice if they could stop the Chinese advance for once and push them back.

Four hours later, Jake, Goose and the Lieutenant sat around a small sterno flame that burned under their tin pot. They heated a can of pork and beans, a delicacy after their nearly starvation diet.

Darkness fell around them, and Chinese artillery boomed in the distance. The flashes played off the low clouds. One flash highlighted a cloud that looked like an arrow pointed back at the enemy.

“They don’t want to let us go,” the Lieutenant observed.

Jake stirred the pork and beans. The aroma was killing him. He was hungry and his stomach ached.

“You know what I think,” the Lieutenant said.

Jake shook his head as he kept his eyes on the beans. When it began to bubble, they would be ready.

“We’re the ones who broke their back,” the Lieutenant said.

“We’ve lived like rats for months,” Jake said. “I don’t know how that broke anyone’s back.”

“I don’t mean just you and me. I mean all the ordinary Americans who picked up a gun and joined the Army, the Militia or the partisans. Here in this hellhole, it was all of us working together. The Army has better equipment, but we held just the same.”

Jake thought about the earliest battle where most of the Eleventh CDMB had run away. Still, some had fought the enemy until the very end.

“I don’t know if I agree with you,” Goose said. “The Chinese chased us out of Denver, didn’t they? And they destroyed it.”

The Lieutenant snorted so snot flew out of his nose. He used his sleeve to wipe his nostrils. “Sorry, but I don’t feel as if we were chased out. The enemy shoved and we shoved back. Yeah, they pushed us out of the majority of the city, but we made them pay in blood. We made them pay so much that our Army had time to regroup and turn the tables on them. Why did that happen? I’ll tell you, because you and me picked up our guns and fought to the last drop. We ground them down and weakened them enough to give the tank lords the opportunity. But without us, the Chinese would have conquered America.”

“Seems to me they’re still in America,” Goose said.

“Yeah,” the Lieutenant said, “with a noose around their necks. Give it a little more time, and we’ll hang these SOBs.”

Jake used the spoon and scooped some pork and beans. He ate the sample. It was hot and tasted great. “Supper’s ready,” he said. “Are you guys?”

Goose and the Lieutenant held out their tins. Jake divided the pork and beans evenly into three parts.

“Another few days,” Jake said, after he licked his spoon and tin clean. “And we’re out of—”

“Don’t jinx us by saying it,” Goose said.

Jake blinked at his friend and finally smiled. “No. I won’t jinx us. Let’s clean up and get some shut-eye.”

“We’ll clean up,” the Lieutenant said. “But then we keep moving. I want out of here and now’s our chance. So we move until we’re out or we’re dead.”

“Yes sir,” Jake said. “I like that advice.”

Paul sweated from the hard work and his hands were sore. “Ready?” he asked Romo.

“One, two, three,” Romo said, grunting the last word.

The two of them lifted a stretcher with a soldier on it. They carried the man from a truck out of Denver to a waiting Chinook helicopter. The helo was near capacity and Paul and Romo had carted at least a quarter of the patients into it.

There were here because SOCOM had been ordered to harass the Chinese in Denver. They hadn’t started on their mission yet because the medical people were short-handed and had asked for help.

The soldiers coming out of Denver looked more like skeletons. They were gaunt, all of them with the thousand-yard stare and too many having lice. The last few weeks had been the worst for them, as most of the airdrops hadn’t landed near enough the besieged soldiers to give them enough supplies.

Paul knew the orders for these men. The strongest were supposed to hike west along I-70, bypassing the ballistic-missile damage. It would take strong men to do that until they reached waiting trucks.

So far, eight thousand of these survivors had reached Idaho Springs. Belatedly, the Chinese attacked the rear guard, halting another eight thousand hastily digging trenches to face their tormentors.

Paul used his forearm to wipe his forehead. He was dog-tired from lifting stretchers and he was tired in his soul. SOCOM had been using him and the other LRSUs back and forth in the hottest spots for weeks on end now. He’d been fighting too long, and it had taken its toll to his spirit.

“Poor bastards,” Paul said.

“What did one of your great generals of the past say?” Romo asked. “War is Hell.”

“That it is,” Paul agreed.

A truck’s brakes squealed as it lurched toward the Chinook. MPs raced over to block it. The trucks were supposed to wait behind the barricade for inspection.

A tough-looking man with a Mexico Home Army uniform jumped out of the driver’s seat.

“You!” he said to Paul. “I have men that need loading.”

The MPs moved up.

Paul recognized the mean-looking driver: the man was an assassin for Valdez. Paul wasn’t sure what motivated him. “Just a minute,” he told the MP captain. “I think I might know some of these men.”

“Doesn’t make any difference,” the MP said.

“Is Colonel Valdez here?” Paul asked the driver.

The Mexico Home Army driver’s head swayed back. He squinted at Paul, and recognition flared in his eyes. Slowly, suspiciously, the driver nodded.

Paul faced the MP. “Sir, Colonel Valdez is a VIP to the President of the United States.”

“What?” the captain said.

“He’s an important figure to our allied soldiers,” Paul explained.

“What’s going on here?” the captain asked.

A hand clutched one of Paul’s elbows. Romo whispered in his ear, “What are you doing?”

Paul wasn’t sure. Maybe he was paying back a blood debt to Maria Valdez. The Colonel wanted him dead, could hate like few others, but he had fathered Maria and Paul hadn’t been able to rescue her from the Chinese. It still bothered him. He couldn’t give the Colonel his life, as Paul wanted to live, not die. But maybe he could give the Colonel back his own life as payment for a grim burden of the soul.

“Sir,” Paul told the captain, “I belong to SOCOM. The President tasks us from time to time with secret missions. I happen to know how important Colonel Valdez is to America’s war effort. Let us carry him and as many of his men as it can hold aboard the Chinook.”

The MP scowled and finally threw up his hands. “Hurry it up then. The helo is slated to take off in ten minutes.”

The captain and his MPs stalked off.

The driver studied Paul. The man’s features had become stony and then thoughtful. “You have a lion’s heart,” he said. “Follow me.” The driver took Paul and Romo to the back of the truck and opened the gate.

A dozen Mexico Home Army soldiers sat in the gloom on benches. On a stretcher lay Colonel Valdez. One of the men held up Valdez’s head. Another whipped back a blanket covering the Colonel, showing that Valdez held a pistol aimed at Paul’s chest.

Paul saw eyes of burning hate. Those eyes flickered to take in Romo.

“Both of you are here,” Valdez whispered. His skin was gray and he seemed feverish.

Paul wondered how much of an idiot he was, but he decided to play it through. “Do you want to live?” he asked the Colonel.

“I want to put a bullet in your chest,” Valdez whispered. “You are a pig and a traitor.”

“Colonel,” the driver said, surprising Paul by speaking up. “This man just interfered for your sake. The MP would have forced you to wait. Now you can leave on a helicopter and get the medical help you need.”

“I heard what this traitor said,” hissed Valdez. He glared at Paul. “Do you think you can buy my forgiveness?”

“Apparently not,” Paul said.

The Colonel began to cough and his gun-hand lost strength so he set the weapon on the floorboard, although he kept his hand around the butt and his finger curled around the trigger.

The Mexico Home Army soldiers in the truck stared at Paul and stared at Romo.

“He needs medical help,” Romo said. “I doubt he’ll get it if he shoots the American.”

“Traitor,” Valdez hissed so spit flew from his mouth. A particle landed on his chin as he raised the gun.

Before he could fire, the driver lunged into the truck. The man had a leopard’s swiftness. He grabbed the gun and twisted. A shot rang out. Amazingly, the bullet hit no one.

The captain and his MPs raced back. “What’s going on here?” he demanded.

The driver had ripped away the pistol, holding it in his hands. With hostility in their eyes and as they gripped their weapons, the others in the truck watched the MPs.

“The Colonel is delirious,” Paul said. “He thought we were Chinese soldiers and fired at us.” Paul put his fingers on the end of the stretcher. “Come on, Romo, give me a hand.”

Paul dragged the Colonel out of the truck-bed and Romo grabbed the other end of the stretcher.

“Let him go with the Colonel,” Paul said to the captain. He used his chin and pointed at the driver. “The others can wait.”

“The others can walk along I-70 with everyone else,” the captain said. “Only the wounded are getting a ride out. Well, he can go, I guess. But don’t give him the gun until he’s well.”

“I won’t,” the driver said.

“Come on,” Paul told the driver. “I’ll show you the way.”

Paul and Romo carried a sick Colonel Valdez onto the Chinook, laying him down among other wounded.

Valdez’s hot eyes flickered open. “This changes nothing,” he told Paul.

“No,” Paul said. “You’re wrong. This changes everything. I just saved your life. Heck, I probably saved you from jail, too, or from the firing squad. That’s what would have happened to you if you’d killed me.”

“My men—”

“Would have been badly outnumbered here,” Paul said. “Anyway, just shut up for change. I’ve listened to you rant before. The way I figure it is that you owe me big time. Most people are grateful to someone saving their life. How about you: are you an ingrate and a dog, or are you a man who pays his debts?”

Valdez’s eyes seemed to burn hotter.

“Think about it,” Paul said. “What I know is that I’ve paid you back for what happened to Maria. There isn’t any more guilt in my heart that you can tap. If you keep coming after me, I’ll kill you just like the assassin Santiago that you sent after Romo.”

“Words,” Valdez said with a sneer.

“It’s time to start channeling your anger the right way,” Paul said. “Kill the Chinese, drive them home and then worry about your stinking honor, as worthless as yours is.”

“No one speaks to me like that.”

“You ready?” Paul asked Romo.

“Si.”

“Then let’s go. Be seeing you,” Paul told the driver. “And thanks. I owe you one.”

With that, Paul left Colonel Valdez in the Chinook, which took off five minutes later. It was strange, but it felt good saving a life for once instead of taking it, even that of a man who hated him.

Shun Li knelt in the cage with the small polar bear cub. The fur was so soft and she loved listening to the little fellow as she held the milk bottle for him.

He sucked strongly, drinking deeply. The Chairman no longer let the mother bear pace in the next chamber, watching. Shun Li smiled. She wondered how much longer she would get to do this.

She’d been agonizing over the correct course of action. The Police Minister’s plot continued apace. She had written many reports for Xiao, and his questions about the Chairman and his Lion Guards had become very pointed. She enjoyed Tang and his rough lovemaking. She loved this little polar bear cub. But she did care for either enough to die for them?

She had come to wonder if the Chairman’s days were numbered. China’s armies had suffered hard defeats. The North American conquest hung in the balance. How could the Chairman defeat Xiao if the military backed the secret policeman?

She stroked the cub’s fur as he suckled.

“You love him,” the Chairman said.

Shun Li twisted around in fright. She hadn’t heard the Chairman sneak up behind her. Tang waited with Hong.

There was one thing about Tang that impressed Shun Li. The Lion Guardsman never acknowledged her while he was on duty, never winked or joked. He acted utterly like the Leader’s protective guardian. He was loyal.

“I have been studying you,” Hong said. “And I have finally reached a conclusion.”

That sounded ominous. She tried to smile, but failed. So she went back to helping the cub suckle the bottle.

“There,” Hong said, as if speaking to Tang. “That is why I trust her. She loves the cub. Xiao Yang could never love.”

“He loves China,” Shun Li heard herself say.

“He is a fanatic,” Hong said. “He has always been a fanatic and it warps his judgment. I’ve begun to wonder if having Xiao around me has warped my judgment.”

Shun Li stared at the cub. If Xiao won, he would slaughter the polar bears. She sighed as she thought about that. She had spent a lifetime killing people. It had warped her. She had no doubt about that. Likely, she was going to pay a bitter cost for her killings. She’d fled to China to escape her fate, but it looked like that wasn’t going to happen.

She thought about an interview she’d had with Xiao several days ago. The Police Minister had almost seemed emotional, delighted as he told her about the Behemoth Manufacturing Plant. It had proved much smaller than her estimate. He had wondered aloud if she had doctored her document. The threat was obvious. He would tell the Leader about the forgery if she did not do exactly as he wanted.

“Sir,” Shun Li said. “I have something to tell you.” As she squatted before the cub, holding the bottle, she twisted around.

“The Police Minister has…forced me to write reports about my visits here.”

Hong glanced at Tang. When the Leader looked at her again, he seemed like a different individual. His eyes had hardened and his lips firmed.

“The Police Minister spoke with Marshal Gang in his office,” Shun Li said. “It occurred the day the heavy lasers destroyed many Behemoth tanks.”

“Gang was in Beijing?” the Leader asked.

“Yes sir.”

“You have evidence of this?”

“Only the evidence of my eyes,” Shun Li said. “And that of the two East Lightning operatives who escorted me to Xiao’s office.”

“So…” Hong whispered. The Chairman of Greater China began to pace before her. “The Army thinks I am weakened by these temporary setbacks. Yes, the marshals are clever. They realize they must pry me from my secret police.”

Hong stopped, and he stared at the cub suckling from the bottle. The Leader stroked his chin.

“The polar bear is an unpredictable beast,” Hong said. “Often he lazes on the Arctic ice. He will amble in peace and go away if a man approaches him. Sometimes, however, the polar bear turns savage, and then nothing can stand before him.”

Chairman Hong smiled. “Shun Li, you can love. Do you love China?”

“Yes Leader.”

“Then you must aid China this hour and help me decapitate the cancer in charge of the police. You will go the Police Ministry. You will take Tang and several other Lion Guardsmen. You must know the passwords.”

“They change every day.”

Hong made a decisive gesture, chopping the air with the edge of his hand. He had a new ring, and it glittered golden in the light. “Listen to me, Shun Li. There is a secret to power that I am about to share with you. Strike first and strike hard. Do you understand?”

Shun Li stared at Hong.

“I will tell you another secret. I can only trust those who love, as you love. I have searched long and hard for a new Minister of Police. I believe you are that person, Shun Li. Are you ready to risk everything for China?”

She nodded, wondering if Hong’s plan had any chance of success. Then she realized it was her only hope. She might have been Xiao’s knife or means to get to the well-guarded Chairman. But Xiao was a crocodile who would eat her without pause. The Chairman was eccentric and strange. But he could love, and that made him more human.

“When shall I go, sir?” she asked.

“As soon as you are done feeding the cub,” he said.

Shun Li nodded, and wondered what the next few hours would hold.

Jake, Goose and the Lieutenant were dug in outside of Idaho Springs. The city was in the mountains, thirty miles from Denver. It was nestled beside I-70 and the town had become the forward point against the Chinese still in metropolitan Denver.

As often happened in war, the military seemed to change its mind abruptly. The survivors of the siege of Denver formed the core group of soldiers holding the line here. Soon came regular food, new uniforms, weapons and plenty of air and artillery support. If the Chinese wanted to knock them out of here, they were welcome to try.

Several drafts of Militia replacements had already joined them out here. The Lieutenant had persuaded the Director to bump Goose to sergeant. He didn’t enough sergeants and if he was going to run a full-strength platoon, he needed more.

For Jake, the reward came when the Lieutenant escorted him to the Battalion comm-shack.

Sergeant Jake Higgins and the Lieutenant stamped their feet on a pad outside the shack and then entered the warm room.

“Heaters,” Jake said. It was like a different world in here.

“Go outside for a bit,” the Lieutenant told the comm-operator.

“Orders are strict, Lieutenant,” the operator said. “I can’t do that while someone else is in here.”

The Lieutenant didn’t hesitate. He drew his pistol and put the barrel against the operator’s stomach. “Let me ask you a question. Do you see the captain in here or am I the highest ranking officer?”

The frightened operator looked down at the gun and then up into the Lieutenant’s face. The operator appeared as if he wanted to say something. Finally, he gulped and hurried outside.

“I’m going to make sure he stays out until you’re done,” the Lieutenant said.

Jake stared at the man, the fanatic who had fought the hardest these past months. This crazy, ardent nationalist had turned out to be his good comrade at arms. They had gone to the wall for each other and they would continue to do so.

“Thanks,” Jake said.

Without another word, the Lieutenant went outside.

Jake used the code words given him. He had to provide them several times. Finally, his father appeared on the screen.

“Dad,” Jake said, grinning from ear to ear.

His father stared at him and tears welled in his eyes. It made Jake’s ears tear up too.

“Jake,” his dad said. “You’ve alive.”

“Yes sir, so are you.”

“Oh, Jake, it’s so good to see you.” His old man wiped his eyes.

Jake did the same to his.

“Where are you?” his dad asked.

“Idaho Springs. We’re all that’s left from the siege.”

Colonel Stan Higgins grinned. “Have you phoned your mother yet?”

“She’s next on the list, Dad. Hey, I’ve seen some footage. You did a real number on the Chinese armies that killed a lot of my friends.”

“We did our best,” Stan said.

“Guess what. I’m a sergeant now. I guess I made it off the bad list and onto the good.”

“You’ve made me proud, Jake, very proud.”

“Is America going to hold this giant pocket and round up the Chinese in it?” Jake asked.

Stan became grim. “This is more than a giant pocket. It’s most of Third Front. The Chinese can’t afford to let us capture more than a million of their soldiers. Heck, it’s probably closer to two million. But to answer your question, it’s going to take a lot more fighting before these soldiers surrender.”

“Do you think they will try to get out this way through Idaho Springs?”

“It doesn’t make any strategic sense for them to try that. I’m thinking you’ve seen the worst of it.”

That was good news, but who could tell?

“Son, I want you to call your mother. I have her number and a priority clearance you’ll need to get through to her. Call her. Tell her you’re well. Don’t tell her anything about the fighting, though.”

“I understand, Dad.”

Stan Higgins grinned. “I’m so glad you’re well. Call me again after you’re done with her, if you can.”

“Yes sir.”

Stan grinned even wider.

It made Jake felt great. He nodded, and then he broke the connection and began typing in the code that would let him talk to his worried mother.

Shun Li figured the plan was crazy and far too risky. Didn’t the Chairman have any idea of the security arrangements around and in the Police Ministry? She’d even been bold enough to question the Leader directly on his insane plan.

“Guardian Inspector, you would be surprised what audaciousness can achieve in a situation like this. The key is twofold. Do not hesitate to kill and act with supreme confidence.”

She now sat in the back of a big Chinese four-door automobile. The vehicle lacked American aerodynamics and often struck her more as a giant metal box with wheels than a car.

A Lion Guardsman drove, and two others sat up front with him. Each wore body armor and the submachine gun they liked carrying. In back with her sat Tang and one other thickly built and heavily armed and armored killer.

A mere six of us to topple Xiao from power. This is preposterous.

They passed several security checks without a problem. It was different at the guard shack before the great gray Police Ministry Headquarters.

The driver’s window rolled down. A stern-faced East Lightning operative looked in. “You are not cleared for entrance.”

“Show him your pass,” Tang whispered to Shun Li.

“Diver,” she said to the Lion Guardsman. “Please instruct the security officer to come to my window.”

The East Lightning officer heard her. His face moved away from the driver’s window. Shun Li opened her window and withdrew her credentials from a packet. This didn’t make sense to her as a way to get in, but she faced the angry-looking officer staring down at her suspiciously.

Before she could hand him the credentials, two loud phuts went off beside her head. She whirled around. Tang held a big silenced pistol, with smoke curling from the barrel. Outside the car, the East Lightning officer crumpled onto the cement.

Three doors opened and the Lion Guardsmen boiled out. Shun Li watched in amazement. East Lightning officers also watched for just a moment. That moment proved too long for them. The Lion Guardsman killed each of the security officers. They gut-shot most, so the officers clutched their stomachs. Then they blew away the faces.

At Tang’s orders, the Lion Guardsmen dragged the officers into the shack.

“Make the call,” Tang told her.

Shaking from surprise, Shun Li climbed out of the car and went to the guard shack. With trembling hands, she patched herself through to the next checkpoint.

“Be confident,” Tang whispered. “You have the Chairman’s complete backing.”

This is the play of my life, she realized. It had been some time now, but she resumed the arrogance of a Guardian Inspector in North America. She spoke to the officer in charge of the next checkpoint.

“Do you recognize this badge?” she asked. She spoke via a screen and held up the Leader’s personal badge of unique design.

The East Lightning officer on the screen scowled at her.

“Check the badge’s authenticity against your secret roster,” she ordered.

The officer did so, and he appeared surprised. “It is genuine?” he asked.

“You know it is,” she said. “But check the code eleven points of confirmation just to make sure.”

He typed and read something on a split screen. He appeared even more surprised, and he lost some of his angry arrogance. He bowed his head to her. “How can I be of service, sir?”

Either the East Lightning officer was a superb actor or Xiao’s coup plans hadn’t reached the lower ranked operatives. She would have been amazed if most of them did know. Xiao seemingly worked with the Army. The secret police and the military were natural enemies and they were seldom in agreement. It was more than likely he worked with only a few of the highest ranked officers and in secrecy.

She explained the situation to the guard officer, and she saw the operative’s nervousness, but he nodded once again.

“Be ready for us,” she said. After signing off, she turned to Tang. “Let’s go.”

The Lion Guardsmen piled into the blocky car. They passed the next checkpoints, and ten minutes later, Shun Li was amazed to find herself marching down the long corridors toward Xiao Yang’s office. Behind followed seven high-ranking East Lightning officers. They were wary and kept glancing at each other. On two different occasions, an East Lightning officer had phoned the number Shun Li gave him. The man listened to Chairman Hong telling him that Shun Li had full authority to do as she saw fit.

It worked so far. The great test approached.

The group turned the corner to Xiao Yang’s office.

“The Police Minister has cameras,” one of the East Lightning officers said.

“Break down the door,” Tang ordered the lead Lion Guardsmen.

Two of the big men sprinted, building up speed. They didn’t try the handle. The first guardsman launched himself at the door, bashing against it with his shoulder. Splintering sounds followed, but the door held. The second Lion Guardsman did the same thing. The door crashed inward.

The three other Lion Guardsmen rushed through the door and fanned out. Xiao Yang was on the phone. He looked up in what might have been surprise. The ceiling lights shined in the lenses of his glasses, giving him an inhuman quality. Even so, Shun Li was slow in drawing her pistol.

Tang drew his heavy revolver. He’d unscrewed the silencer some time ago. The gun barked three times and the magazine must have held exploding bullets. Xiao’s head shattered and the body blew backward, crumpling onto the floor behind the desk.

As one, the five Lion Guardsmen whirled around, aiming their guns at the East Lightning officers. Shun Li opened her mouth to calm everyone. The guns roared until the East Lightning officers lay dead and twisted on the carpet.

Shocked, Shun Li turned to Tang. He faced her, with his gun aimed at her belly.

“Am I next?” she whispered.

Tang shook his head. “Chairman Hong instructed me to purge the leadership. I have done so. Now, it is time for you to grab the reins of the Police Ministry. We will remain with you for a few days, until you feel yourself sufficiently in control.”

She stepped close to him so only he could hear. “Do you love me, Tang?”

The big man hesitated. “I serve China, Shun Li. I cannot love anything else. But I have enjoyed our times together.”

“I see.” And she thought she did. The barracuda had survived the killer whale and great white shark. Now it was time to become something more than a barracuda or she would end up like Xiao Yang.

She went to the former Police Minister’s desk, deciding her first order of business was to search for secret documents. She wanted to find everything Xiao had pertaining to the Denver Behemoth Manufacturing Plant.