Warriors at the Gates- Trojan Wars Read online

  Lieutenant Grigorius Murphy, known as Goliath by his teammates, seemed to have been carved out of a mountain. He stood with his arms crossed, biceps bulging, massive forearms resting on his chest. "Nice to know you're the caring type, Commander."

  Cayden ignored the quip as the other soldiers stepped forward to get closer to the console. He then pointed to a clustered area of the holographic map, an area on the edge of the forest near a body of water, comprising a water-submerged submarine. "This,” he said, sharply tapping the pointer several times on the console, “is where we are going."

  Two soldiers farthest from Cayden - an American Indian with a strong athletic build, and a stocky Frenchman with a thick accent - stepped forward.

  "Rabbit and Hoss will set the perimeter and spy the Scavenger, while Tressa and Murphy will come with me," Cayden said.

  Other buildings on the holograph faded away, the layout of the Submarine's interior enlarging. "Everyone else stay with the ship, on alert, weapons hot," Cayden said.

  "Wait," Tressa said, raising her hand toward Cayden. "Don't we need all hands on deck, in case we need to evacuate the scientists? How do we get a dozen people back to the shuttle if they are all still alive?"

  "We have our mission and a clear tactical objective," Cayden snapped.

  "The objective is more important than the lives of the Coalition scientists?" Tressa asked, glancing around at her teammates.

  "That's classified," Cayden said, biting down on his lip. His eyes locked in on the submarine.

  Cayden didn't like the details of the mission, but their orders weren't open for debate. He needed them all sharp and focused, so he figured now wasn't the time for a lecture.

  "Search and retrieve - but no extract?" Tressa pressed.

  "You know as well as I do that their entire unit can't be flown back to Air Station Alpha until they have been vetted and scanned to make sure they haven't been compromised," Cayden said.

  Compromised meant infected with smart blood, an internal GPS injected into the bloodstream; there was no need for him to spell it out to them.

  "What's so important about this Cube?" Tressa said, raising her eyebrows.

  Cayden sighed and knitted his brows, placing his hands on the console and staring at the blueprint. How on earth did she know about the Cube? "Classified. Arrangements have been made for the scientists to be evacuated but that isn't our assignment." He pressed a button and the map of the city disappeared, giving her a look that indicated the conversation was over.

  Tressa took a deep breath as Hoss handed her twin laser guns. She grabbed and holstered them at her thigh.

  Cayden shook his head. "Where are you going with those?"

  "No guns?" Tressa asked.

  Again, Cayden shook his head.

  "Then we should at least have explosives, grenades, projectile weapons, Sir," Tressa said, looking back at her crew. "I understand the need for safety, but what if we run into an Imperial Knight? What if this is a trap?"

  Cayden signed. "No. A misfired projectile can puncture any number of weak points, sinking the base in the process." He looked across the shuttle’s galley to the Rangers who were still seated. "Besides, if you let an Imperial Knight get close enough to you that you need to use a projectile weapon, you're as good as dead anyways."

  He watched their reactions; there were slight rumblings and laughs among each other before they turned their attentions back to him.

  "This is a class-level-ten assignment, so we don't have the option of failure," Cayden said.

  "Bloody hell, always expendable, aren't we?” Goliath said.

  If only Goliath knew the half of it, Cayden thought.

  The Coalition Agency of Intelligence, almost like a secret force inside the coalition, had dropped a bombshell. Tressa and her team had been compromised; after they helped him complete the mission, he was to execute them. All of them. General Chertoff and Tressa were close, so for him to give this order, the intel had to be airtight. Or so he would have hoped.

  "Do we have new intel, Commander?" Tressa asked.

  "You'll be briefed in the field," Cayden answered.

  That comment elicited more moans and grumblings, but Tressa's team was professional and they'd do their jobs.

  Cayden always put the mission first, in combat, knowing that was the only way to maintain order. If a soldier let his personal feelings interfere with military objectives, many lives would be lost.

  He walked back toward the cockpit.

  "Commander," Tressa called.

  He stopped and glanced over his shoulder.

  "We haven't always seen eye to eye, but I do value your friendship and trust your judgment. You always do the right thing by all of us. I'm glad you're here; we all feel safer with you around."

  Her mouth opened again, but no words came out, she looked down at the floor and turned and walked away.

  This will be a tough one, Cayden thought. His sworn oath to the Coalition had cost him more than he could ever pay, and now they asked for even more.

  CHAPTER THREE

  It’s a mistake to look to far ahead. The chain of destiny can only be grasp one link at a time.

  ―Winston Churchill

  Midnight.

  Dual circular blue flames materialized and shimmered like floating orbs in the darkness as the Scavenger set down on Mount Sadom, a remote land near the southern shore of Region One. Landing gears emerged from the bottom of the shuttle, stabilizing it on the soft halite. White smoke steamed from the rear exhaust, and the fans whirled as they worked to cool the engines.

  The Scavenger’s side doors slid open and a ramp extended to the ground.

  The shuttle’s primary function when first designed was for bombing campaigns, but over time, because of its size and maneuverability, it was now used for stealth and mission transports.

  Cayden exited the cockpit and walked into the shuttle’s cabin area. Ahead of him, he saw Goliath and Tressa were the first two off the ship. He followed, and once outside, he glanced up at the dark sky, impenetrable save for a tiny patch of nacreous gray behind which the half-moon tried to conceal itself like a naked woman.

  The mission’s details were clear enough: infiltrate the base, re-take the Trojan Cube at all costs, and leave all scientists behind. He was assured a means of transport would pick them up later, making sure they all were vetted before being rescued. Then he was to dispose of his team. Under no circumstances were Tressa and her crew to be allowed to return to Air Station Alpha.

  What treasonous action had they committed, that it was punishable by death without a trial? The Coalition Intelligence Agency was made up of former members of the Mossad, CIA, KGB and NSA, the last vestiges of once-powerful organizations since swept aside and disbanded. Its highest-ranking members had been executed for treason and war crimes when the Potentate Annirus Aurelius came into power. Through study, Cayden knew those groups’ histories as far as honesty and integrity went, left a lot to be desired. They took liberties with certain information in order to accomplish their agendas.

  Cayden adjusted the halo-cam on his wrist, and it rendered a full detailed holographic blueprint of the entire city. Region One, Zone 3 was mostly the old city of Jerusalem. He had a bad feeling about this mission, one of danger that was elusive yet imminent, but he couldn't put his finger on the source. He had an ability, unique to only him even among the Desani, that alerted him to peril well before it happened. Even that was no help to him now.

  Goliath paced back and forth, while Tressa bit her nails and rubbed her hands against her pants. She then checked and rechecked her weapons several times.

  They were up to something; he didn't need to be a psychic or use his power to see that. Maybe they knew the mission made little sense and he was plotting their demise. "What is it, Captain?” Cayden asked.

  Tressa leaned toward him. “Sir, I've been thinking," she said, pointing a thumb at herself and Goliath. "We've been thinking."

  "Let us go in first, and you
flank us, and provide backup if needed," Goliath interjected.

  Cayden saw two more Coalition soldiers, Hoss and Rabbit, descend from the shuttle. The Scavenger, its mirror camoflage off, was now visible, all black with swept-back wings and silver windows. The side hatch slid open and a compartment folded out, holding several hover bikes. Gun turrets were mounted on the underneath flaps on both sides of the front, and the round heads of the bikes were covered by a bullet-proof canopy.

  "Stick to the plan," Cayden said.

  Tressa’s lips pressed together in a slight grimace.

  "Very well, mate. Have it your way," Goliath said.

  Goliath turned away from him, and Cayden reached out and grabbed his massive bicep.

  "What happened with Austin?" Cayden averted his gaze from Goliath's stare and looked down at the ground. "If I could trade places with him, I'd do it in a heartbeat."

  Goliath’s eyes were so cold the chill could make ice cubes. "Get your bloody hands off me, Sir." Goliath shook his arm free.

  He then turned his back to Cayden and followed after Tressa. A momentary flash of heat swirled through Cayden's body, but he quickly willed down the sudden surge of anger, understanding too well the source of Goliath's rage.

  Goliath wore the same expression now as he had the night when he’d come to after finding out he'd been rescued but his younger brother had been left behind to die. Goliath hadn't forgotten and he definitely hadn't forgiven him - and by the look of things, he never would.

  General Chertoff made it clear that eliminating her team and securing the Cube were to be high on his to-do list. Saving the base and rescuing the scientists being held hostage were not. If the Global Union had commandeered the base, the scientists would be injected with smart blood anyways. Taking them back to Air Station Alpha would lead the Global Union right to their hidden headquarters.

  Cayden glanced back in the direction of the shuttle; he pushed down the anxiety welling up inside him. Going to a base near water brought on a flood of bad memories. He pictured dead scientists - and worse, the tragic loss of a woman he once loved.

  The capital city of Region One - named Zone Seven - was a blaze of lights and sparkling colors, and from a distance, seemed to be a million flashing diamonds in the throes of a black cloth. Skyscrapers dwarfed the old city; all the original natural features and historical sites were torn down and rebuilt to honor the Potentate Annirus Aurelius. It was he who had ended World War 3 and focused on stabilizing the Middle East, and he who had first introduced the seven-year peace accord.

  The city itself was divided into quadrants, further divided into smaller cities. Zone Seven now was an endless ring of bomb-proof high-rises and hyper-loop transit systems, and it was the upper levels that were spacious and clean, that gave way to the elites’ vision of the world’s second city.

  But all visions of soaring decadence and beautiful architecture, no matter how glamorous, must be grounded somewhere. Beneath the illuminated skywalks and glittering lights lay another view of Zone 7.

  This was where Cayden would start. Just past midnight on a cold December day, tough choices awaited.

  Cayden drove his hoverbike with the flow of traffic until he reached a war-torn building. There was nothing particularly notable about it, but it seemed a decent place to stop.

  Tressa and Goliath pulled up behind him.

  Large roaches, and rats the size of softballs thrived in the shadows, while stray dogs hung out in packs in abandoned synagogues and factories.

  The bricks had fallen away from the warehouse's upper levels, exposing the interior flats and offices.

  The building’s skeleton mirrored the world, Cayden thought; like the hotel, the Global Union had sucked the soul out of humanity. The fractured facade of the building lay in a heap of glass and stone at the building’s base – a pile of junk mingled with other furniture, shattered halo-screens, steel bed frames, work desks, and other indicators of habitation. This place would do fine; it was cold and dark.

  "New intel, bogies confirmed. Set your timers now, then wait fifteen minutes," Cayden said to Goliath and Tressa.

  They would need to cut through the city and make it to the forestation on the northern side of Zone 7; the Dead Sea was as close as the Scavenger could get without being picked up by city-wide probe droids.

  The less attention they drew to themselves the better.

  Cayden popped the clutch on the floating hoverbike and eased into the night’s traffic.

  Cayden's hoverbike floated off into the dense traffic, the hum of sky-car engines echoing off the surrounding buildings.

  Tressa stood and stretched her arms. Goliath approached her, finally taking his eyes off Cayden as well.

  "Are we sure about this? Goliath asked.

  "No, I'm not. That's a question you should ask yourself but yes, I'm asking for your help, and yes, I'm going to do it regardless."

  "You're asking us to commit high treason, but if we do this, we'll be hunted until death."

  Tressa hands were visibly shaking.

  "If you won't help me, please don't try to stop me."

  Goliath spotted a probe surveillance camera floating above them and took a step back, deep into the shadows of the building. The bottom levels of Zone 7 could become dangerous to those that looked out of place.

  Tressa searched for Global Union security patrols and other probe cameras, but the chances of spotting one was remote, since the GU rarely, if ever, concerned themselves with the slums or lower levels. The people here were left to fend for themselves.

  "I've already made contact with Matrix, and after we secure the Cube, he'll help us decode it and contact the mercs. Hoss and Rabbit are on board, and we get a quarter each. I think four is enough and there's no one else on board we can trust," Goliath said.

  "What about Cayden?" Tressa asked.

  "We both know even if he wanted to help, he'd never disobey a direct order. His loyalty is to the Coalition, not to any of us."

  "So, what do we do about him?"

  Goliath made firm eye contact. “He gets the same as the rest. We can't have him roaming around hunting us. They need to think we're all dead."

  Tressa's false smile disappeared, and she felt a tightness in her chest. "Ok..." The words barely made it out of her mouth.

  "After what happened to my brother, I've been looking for this opportunity. I'm looking for a payday and to get as far away from the Coalition as possible. This Cube is my best chance. You still have time to change your mind; if you get cold feet, let me know?"

  Tressa nodded. She still wasn't sure she could go through with it, but the one thing she couldn't do was sacrifice her daughter.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  If you are afraid, don't do it; if you're doing it, don't be afraid.

  ― Ghengis Khan

  Tressa's stomach was tied in knots. She had built this persona of courage and loyalty and was getting physically sick by her upcoming betrayal but backing out wasn't a real option for her. She needed to push all her chips into the middle of the table. Either she would save her daughter or die trying.

  She looked down at her wristwatch and plugged in a series of variables, then commanded, "calculate the chances of mission success given the current parameters. Adjust live as variables change." With another cleansing breath, she mounted her personal transport.

  At present, her Tiaga-551 hoverbike idled in a multi-purpose form. It was a changer, and with the touch of a button, had converted into a slick snowmobile variant. As an all-terrain vehicle, it was even able to travel the high seas.

  The vehicle took off and zipped through the thick snow beneath the glare of an ice-shrouded moon. Tressa leaned closer to the body of the vehicle and squeezed the gears tighter to ensure she wasn't thrown off the swift-moving bike.

  Up ahead of her was Goliath, and she followed him through thickets of the dark forest at high speeds, using the bike’s navigational computers to traverse around the trees, fallen logs and other unidentifia
ble debris. Even in the snow, she could still smell the pine and floral wildflower scents, and the smell of decomposing leaves.

  Tressa leaned closer to the body of the vehicle and squeezed the gears tighter to ensure she wasn't thrown by the bike's breakneck speed, while her vehicle's engine adjusted to the switch from open and snowy to broken-forested terrain.

  Goliath's massive body made his bike look like he was floating on a white broom handle. In spite of the near-comical difference, he still piloted through the tight terrain with ease.

  Tressa struggled to keep up. She wasn't certain if it was the snow falling from trees or being kicked up by the speeding snowmobiles, but every sharp turn she made sprayed more snow into her face. At the back of her mind, it seemed her anxiety was holding her back like an anchor.

  Her infrared goggles were becoming caked with ice, but she was moving far too fast to risk wiping them off. "Zoom," she commanded her headset.

  Up ahead a few miles, she could begin to make out the base's location, buried under the guise of white snow shrouded in black darkness. If you didn't know it was there with the benefit of specialty equipment, you would never even notice it. Fortunately, the snowmobiles were small enough so that even if they were detected by the base's security scans, they would likely be mistaken for roaming wolves or some other wild animal.

  Most likely, anyway.

  Tressa's entire face stung from the cold, and her head was so chilled she thought her brain would freeze. The bone-searing wind made her body armor feel like an icebox which became heavier by the minute from the accumulation of the wind. She had turned off the suit’s temperature control to reduce her heat signatures. Her suit was insulated, but the chill from the wind seemed to negate that benefit.

  Despite her torment, she pushed her engine even harder. The computer scans running across her goggles gave her up-to-the-minute readouts of her expected time of arrival, her distance from the target and up-to-the-moment weather patterns.