Resistance: A Hole in the Sky

^{CHAPTER THIRTEEN} STARS AND STRIPES

Construction of the Blakely Dam in the Ouachita National Forest had begun in 1948 and ended when the Chimera invaded North America and it became necessary to divert raw materials like steel and concrete into the war effort. But a significant amount of work had already been accomplished. The wedge-shaped dam was 231 feet high and more than a thousand feet wide. Two turbines had been installed but never brought online. Still, since it had a small auxiliary generator, the facility had enough power to meet its own needs. Something the humans who lived deep inside the dam were careful to conceal. The thickness of the steel-reinforced concrete all around him made President Thomas Voss feel that he and his staff were reasonably safe from detection as he clattered down a flight of metal stairs and arrived on the level below.

Pools of light led him between desks towards the glassed-in area that had originally been designed to function as the dam’s control room, but was now generally referred to as “the think tank.” Meaning the enclosure in which most of the presidential decisions were made.

A great deal had been accomplished since the harrowing journey south from Freedom Base One. Not only had the government reestablished itself deep within the dam, the vaccine production program had been restored and improved. Pack trains loaded with vaccine, and accompanied by federal marshals, were making their way out to communities throughout the southeast. That meant Voss was not only building political support but a healthy virus-resistant population from which an army could be recruited.

Of course, Voss still had the never-ending threat of the Chimera to contend with, as well as human predators like Judge Ramsey, the man responsible for the destruction of Freedom Base One and the deaths of thirty-six federal employees. Voss was determined to punish that outrage both as a way to prevent future attacks and as an example to others.

Which was why Cassie Aklin, Marvin Kawecki, and a civilian scout named Calvin Rawlings had been summoned to the think tank for an early-morning conference. A pot of coffee was sitting on a warmer and a buffet-style breakfast consisting of Spam, pancakes, and fresh berries was available. Voss rarely took time off to eat, so such meals were common.

There were greetings all around as the President loaded a plate with food and Aklin poured him a cup of coffee. After taking his place at the long, narrow table, Voss opened the meeting.

“Okay, you know the score. Monica Shaw was forced to work for this Ramsey character—and that’s how his people knew when and where to attack.

“And, based on what Shaw told me before she was killed, Ramsey is a lot more than a bandit. It’s his intention to destroy the federal government so that he can replace it with one of his own. So now that we’re up and running again it’s time for some payback. We know roughly where Ramsey is, so I’m sending Kawecki up to resolve the situation. Rawlings, you know the area between here and there; I’m counting on you to get our people through.”

Rawlings had shoulder-length hair, a high forehead, and a hooked nose. He nodded solemnly.

Kawecki frowned and put his fork down. “No offense, Mr. President, but you must be joking. We estimate that Ramsey has hundreds of armed regulators. How am I supposed to take them on with a dozen men?”

Voss finished chewing and swallowed. “You’re a captain in the United States Army! That means you can accomplish the impossible.”

Kawecki produced a snort of derision. “Thanks. We’ll be lucky if we get there—never mind the rest of it.”

Voss grinned. “Don’t be such a pessimist. Let’s plan for success rather than failure. And that brings us to the following problem: If—no when—you kill Ramsey, it will result in a power vacuum. So, unless we want to run the risk that someone even worse will be sucked in to replace him, it will be necessary to establish an entity that’s loyal to the real government. Which is to say us.”

“Oh, great,” Kawecki responded sarcastically. “Is there anything else, Mr. President? Should I make all the Chimera disappear while I’m at it?”

Voss blew steam off the surface of his coffee. “Yes,” he replied evenly. “That would be nice.”

Kawecki, Rawlings, and a force of twelve men left that night. They were on foot. But with the aid of sturdy mules, they weren’t required to carry anything other than their weapons, ammo, and some emergency gear. That allowed them to move quickly.

Of course the animals had their drawbacks, too. The mules were hard to conceal, had to be fed, and could be obstinate at times. But Kawecki figured the tradeoff would be worth it if he could keep his men fresh, carry a larger payload, and reach his destination quickly.

They traveled at night, with Rawlings scouting a mile or so ahead. Doing so was colder, but safer, and safety had priority. The civilian had a radio, which he used to guide the soldiers around obstacles. The route was a zigzag affair that followed secondary roads in a generally northwesterly direction. They passed through dozens of devastated hamlets, circled two Chimeran bases, and were forced to cope with Leapers, Grims, and a pack of feral dogs along the way. The dogs had been brazen enough to attack one of the mules in broad daylight before being wiped out. But it wasn’t until day four, when they were almost halfway to their destination, that the team ran into what Rawlings described as “a major freak show.”

It was about two in the morning when Kawecki ordered the men to hobble the mules and set them free to graze in an overgrown field while he and Sergeant Pasco went forward to meet Rawlings. As they closed in on the rendezvous, a glow appeared up ahead. The dark bulk of a hill prevented them from seeing the source of the light as the scout materialized out of the gloom. “Follow me,” the civilian said. “You won’t believe this.”

As Kawecki and Pasco followed Rawlings up a winding dirt road the glow grew brighter. Then, having arrived near the top of the hill, they dropped flat and crawled the last few yards. And what Kawecki saw at that point was unlike anything he’d ever seen before.

Stretched out in front of him was what looked like a football-field-sized sheet of glass. Except having been exposed to a lot of Chimeran tech, he suspected that the object was made of something akin to plastic.

Even so, the roof clearly weighed hundreds of tons and was held up off the ground by six iridescent pillars. Based on previous experience, Kawecki knew the supports were beams of coherent energy similar to those the stinks used for a wide variety of purposes. Some of the light was coming from the columns. Pole-mounted spots were responsible for the rest. Taken together, they illuminated the conical structures visible under the see-through lid.

They were pods. Thousands of pods. All planted in neat rows like a crop of vegetables and protected from the weather by the roof that floated above them. Could the plastic be darkened during the day? To shield the cocoons from the sun in the summer? Kawecki thought such a thing was possible.

“Look!” Pasco said from a position near the officer’s right elbow. “Titans!”

Kawecki saw that the noncom was correct. Two of the giants were patrolling the perimeter of the pod farm with cannons at the ready. That was interesting, but the real question was why? Did the hive-mind need more stinks to do its bidding? And if so, what did it plan to do with them? There was no way to know.

“Now that you’ve seen the freak show, let’s get out of here,” Rawlings said from his position off to the left. “I think it would be a good idea to swing west before heading north again.”

Kawecki shook his head. “Nope. There’s no way we can leave this place operational. Besides… those are people down there. Or they were. Every single one of us has been forced to bypass pods at one time or another. But not thousands of them. No, we’re going to put those folks out of their misery, and keep the total number of stinks down at the same time. The only question is how?”

Rawlings looked at Kawecki askance. “You must be joking. I didn’t sign up for anything like this.”

“I’m not joking,” Kawecki replied calmly, “and you’ll do whatever I say. Isn’t that right, Sergeant Pasco?”

Pasco grinned wickedly. He had brown skin and his teeth were very white. “That’s right, sir. Mr. Rawlings will do whatever you say.”

“I thought so,” Kawecki said evenly. “Come on! Let’s get out of here. We have some planning to do.”

Nearly twenty-four hours had passed by the time the attack on the pod farm began. The mules were hidden in a barn located about a mile and a half away, along with two soldiers to protect both the animals and the group’s supplies. Kawecki had divided the rest of his men into three teams, each having its own objective.

The Alpha and Bravo teams consisted of two-man LAARK teams. The first person’s job was to fire rockets at the black boxes located at the base of each energy beam. The other soldier was carrying reloads for the LAARK, plus an M5A2 carbine, which could be used to provide security.

Meanwhile, Charlie team, led by Sergeant Pasco, was going to attack the Titans. Kawecki knew the enormous stinks could absorb a lot of projectiles. So by targeting one of the monsters with the group’s single Wraith, plus a half-dozen lighter weapons, he hoped to neutralize the giants early on. Success would depend on surprise, timing, and teamwork.

After a short pep talk, all of the soldiers were sent out to take up the positions assigned to them. That put Alpha and Bravo teams along the south side of the rectangular farm, with everyone else up on the hill. They continued to dig in as Kawecki scanned the scene below.

“Damn it.”

Rawlings, who was still opposed to the attack, turned to look at the officer. “Why? What’s wrong?”

“Hybrids,” Kawecki answered, as he released the binoculars in order to blow on his cold fingers. “Maybe half a dozen of them. They’re walking around in among the cocoons.”

“Maybe we should break it off,” Rawlings suggested hopefully.

“Or maybe we should kill them,” Kawecki said clinically. “Our snipers can handle it. But the result will be less fire on the Titans. Find Cole and Okada. Tell them to kill the ’brids before they target the Titans.”

Rawlings nodded and slithered away.

The first call came in over the team freq twenty seconds later. “Alpha Team. In position. Over.”

That was followed by a burst of static and a second transmission. “Bravo Team. In position. Over.”

Kawecki clicked his transmit switch twice by way of a reply. Then it was Pasco’s turn to speak in his ear. The noncom was at the other end of the firing line, which extended along the crest of the hill. “Charlie Team. We’re ready. Over.”

Kawecki eyed the Titans. They were at the east end of the farm and about to turn back. The best time to attack them would be when they were close, so that the massed fire would have maximum effect. Kawecki pressed the button. “Charlie Team will fire on my command. At that point, teams Alpha and Bravo may fire at will.”

The Titans turned. They had smooth skulls and six eyes, and wore cooling units on their backs. They carried their cannons at something approximating port arms, and Kawecki wasn’t looking forward to the barrage of high-explosive projectiles that would be coming his way in the near future. His stomach muscles tightened at the thought.

There was nothing to do but wait as the seconds crawled by and the Titans loomed larger. Finally, just as the beasts were about to turn and head the other way, Kawecki gave the order. “Fire!”

The Wraith was resting on an improvised bipod. That allowed the gunner to not only lie flat but to fire his weapon with greater accuracy. So as the minigun roared, and a stream of high-velocity bullets slammed into the Titan’s chest, it staggered and was forced to take two steps back.

Meanwhile, lesser weapons were firing on the beast to the right. It uttered a scream of rage and fired its cannon. The shell hit halfway up the slope and threw a fountain of soil into the air.

Kawecki swore, fired two grenades in quick succession, and saw both explode as they hit. Blood flew, but the grenades had very little effect, as the Titan put its head down and began to charge up the hill.

Kawecki knew that, as the commanding officer, it was his job to keep an eye on the big picture and give the correct orders. But that was impossible as the monster fired again, Rawlings ceased to exist, and his remains fell like a warm rain. “Grenades!” Kawecki shouted. “Throw everything you have at the sonofabitch!”

And the soldiers obeyed. Not that it made a whole lot of difference as the Titan’s head and shoulders drew even with the top of the hill. That was when Kawecki stood, threw an air-fuel grenade at the Chimera’s enormous head, and uttered a whoop of joy as it made contact with the upper part of the giant’s chest and stuck there.

The Titan released its cannon in order to paw at the device, but it was too late. The grenade generated a soft whump as it went off and the Chimera’s head, hands, and upper torso were enveloped in yellow-orange flames.

Even though the beast was blind and disoriented, it staggered uphill with blazing hands extended. That was when some of the outgoing projectiles punched their way through the Chimera’s torso and slammed into the cooling unit strapped to its back. The result was a series of overlapping explosions that blew the Titan apart and hurled chunks of raw meat high into the air. They thumped down all around him as Kawecki shifted his attention to the larger battle.

The other Titan had been able to reach the top of the slope off to the left in spite of a steady stream of slugs from the Wraith. The Chimera was holding a soldier with one hand while ripping the human’s extremities off with the other. Rather than run the risk of hitting their buddy, Charlie Team’s fire had fallen off. “Fire, damn you!” Pasco roared. “Davis is dead.”

So Charlie Team fired as Kawecki shifted his attention to the pod farm. Two of the supporting energy beams had been extinguished by then and there was a flash of light as a third exploded.

The Hybrids were down, thanks to some good shooting by the snipers. But no sooner had Kawecki noted that fact than a wave of zombie-like Menials flooded into the farm from the east. Once they spotted the Alpha and Bravo teams, the stinks split into two columns and ran straight at the humans. “Down below!” Kawecki shouted. “Supporting fire!”

The second Titan exploded at that point, but Kawecki didn’t have time to look, as he and half of Charlie Team shifted their fire to the pod farm. The Menials looked like ants when viewed from the top of the hill, and like ants they kept on coming. But the hail of projectiles slaughtered so many of the Chimera that the newcomers had to climb over piles of their own dead in order to throw themselves at the humans.

Fortunately, the continued fire from both the hill and the rocket teams themselves was enough to stop the gruesome onslaught as Kawecki shouted into the radio, “Alpha and Bravo teams! Shift your fire to the supports! Take them out and pull back.”

As luck would have it, the remaining energy beams were evenly spaced. So even though the roof had begun to teeter uncertainly, it remained horizontal to the ground. Then, as the last of the power supply boxes exploded, the gigantic sheet of transparent material collapsed onto the cocoons below.

Now Kawecki could see down through the roof as the fleshy pods exploded. As each cocoon popped, it produced a wet farting sound that merged with all the rest to generate a muted roar. Bloody goo spurted sideways and was simultaneously pressed downwards to form what looked like an enormous laboratory slide.

Kawecki heard gagging sounds as one of the soldiers threw up and a horrible stench rose to envelop the hill. “I’m sorry,” Kawecki said to no one in particular. “I’m sorry it had to end this way. But it’s over now.”

Pasco had been close enough to hear. The day when every stink has been killed, he thought to himself. That’s the day when it will be over.